Clash of the Elements Part 5 (R): The Lover From the Lost Aura
by mewmaster93
Summary: Called in to assist an old friend of the original Elemental Overlord, his successor Mew finds himself wrapped up in a battle for control of the ancient city of Sancturia, home to the Aurians and the secrets of their powers. With the friend's daughter Kairi tagging along, Mew shall combat his way through the legendary Planetary Aurians and their leader to liberate this city, or...
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

The following is a remake of one of my old stories. This remake is being done to accommodate for the changes and improvements I have made to my writing over the past few years, along with redoing bits of the plot that I felt didn't hit the mark the way I wanted them to.

The old Parts 1-4 are still in continuity, and I will not be redoing them because while the writing for them is outdated, there is nothing in the plots I feel needs to be added from redoing them. Part 5 and Part 6 are very important going forward, so I felt they needed this treatment the most.

I won't be rewriting the side story from the old version in this version, but the old version's events are still in continuity. This does mean the Mario content from this Part's been removed, but I am still putting this under Mario because this fic started with Mario and thus logic dictates that any OC of mine going forward is related to the Mario franchise in one way or another.

So if you came in expecting any Mario content, leave now.

If you don't care, stick around. This Part's pretty self-contained so you can enjoy it without really having to rely on the others. The same cannot be said for Part 6 when I get to rewriting that, but that's up to you whether you want to read all that or not. I am more than willing to provide a summary of important events to save you the trouble.

Anyways, enough babbling. Enjoy!

* * *

In the dead of night around the North Pole under a sea of stars, where no rain or snow nor winds nor cold dared enter, lies a city. A floating city. A city filled with magic and mysteries galore.

No, it is not Santa's workshop. There are no diminutive elves prancing about, nor reindeer who gallop with glee. The magic that fills this place is more...foreign than what the people of Earth would be accustomed to, and yet at the same time the source of this magic is much closer than they'd think.

The houses that litter the view are more akin to huts. Small, domed, and built out of wood and cloth. Not hard to manage, but difficult to preserve. Not that this city has had much to fear from fires and the like. No, this city has remained hidden off from the rest of the Earth for a long, long time...

But, _that _is all about to change...

At the crack of midnight when all the denizens have tucked themselves in for the night, there was one girl who could not, would not, lie down.

She snuck out of her abode with nothing but the clothes on her back and a scarf made of silk around her neck. She sprinted softly along the glass floor, her eyes darting to-and-fro at the dimly lit windows on the surrounding huts. The moment a shadow stirred in the light, she clung to the wall of the nearest hut and sucked her chest in with one deep, quiet breath.

Then she was off once more, crawling swiftly through the still of night like a spider. Alone with her thoughts, she wondered "Where is that temple again?"

She heard a tiny creak at her feet and then swung her head around. No one had heard her. Good.

After a few more seconds of wandering the city the girl lifted her head up and up until her scalp pressed up against the back of her neck. She stared at a temple that was filled with more dirt than sheen. The moon's bright shine could barely illuminate its crusted pearled walls, nor could it penetrate the dusted stained glass window above the fifty foot tall doors.

"_Don't go near the temple."_

"_Its dangerous there."_

Time and time again she heard these warnings.

But with a slacked jaw and dismayed shake of the head, the girl rolled her eyes and dragged her feet a couple steps forward. She then reached into her right pocket and pulled out a metal can no taller than her head. She gave it a few shakes and tapped the thumb-sized sprayer up top as she aimed it at the wall.

A grainy spray of red dispersed upon the wall as the girl had to resist the urge not to tell some unknown party to "Kiss her ass"

When she's done marking up the temple worse than time ever could, she strapped the spray can back into her pocket. She clapped her hands, as the scent of her mark filled her nose.

Her eyes widen as her nostrils close and she turns around coughing. She pounds her mouth a couple times to dull the sounds until it stops, then with her fist still pressed to her mouth she stares up. No one's around.

She gasped with her heart just one inch from her chest. But as she goes to lean back, a single tap from her elbow is enough to push one side of the door ajar. And it moves not with a whisper, but with a loud _"EEEEEEEEEEEERRRREEEEEEEEKKKK!"_

The girl bites the tips of her left fingernails until the door stops one foot open, and not an inch further. It is lucky for her that fortune favors fools, as at worse, her gross negligence has made a child or two turn over in their beds.

After getting over her initial panic, the girl leaned closer, then closer, and before she knew it her hand was carefully wrapped around the edge of the door and her head poking through the gap.

She then squeezed her way through with only a couple of things making it difficult for her to accomplish. She was greeted by thousands of dust particles in the air, most likely shaken off from the door, and the lack of any light.

The girl grumbled in an unconvincing manner as a sneer formed on her face and she started walking forward, allured by the unknown. Surely there would be some secret worth uncovering, if _that man_ said to keep away.

Throwing caution to the wind she made her way deeper into the temple. There was a ton of dry air and empty space. She tried to look up at the walls but only found towering statues with decapitated arms and limbs to be her company.

She paused and stared at one of the faceless statues, and for a second swore it budge. Her breathing hastened as she tip-toed past them and neared the back of the temple. It was smaller than the outside suggested, but that remaining distance grew as so too did the anticipation for what's at the end.

And yet upon reaching the end all she would find is...nothing.

Nada. Zilch. This temple couldn't even have the decency to leave behind a cob web, or a pebble! Ab-so-lutely..._nothing_.

After glaring at the barren wall for a solid minute the girl puffed her cheeks. She planted her right foot up against the wall and kicked it a few times. Her leg bent back out of whack with each thrust into the solid concrete, until suddenly...

"_Click!"_

Her foot pressed deeper into the wall than should be allowed. The sudden sound of a door creaking made her jolt upright and then spin back around.

Already sick and tired of this place screwing with her, she had presumed unwanted company had arrived to seal her fate. But fate had other plans.

For the door she heard didn't come from afar, but closer by. As she spun back out of fear she caught a glimpse of something changed. Part of the wall had pushed itself open to the left, revealing a secret passage deeper into the temple.

This was obviously the secret she was seeking, but would it be wise to press deeper on? She fiddled some fingers near her chest as she grappled with that decision. But then with one firm swallow that echoed inside this empty hall, she edged towards the passage, gently pushing the door wider open.

This part of the temple was different from the rest. The air is fresh, albeit with a tinge of charcoal, and there's not a speck of dust as she runs her hand down the wall to avoid getting lost.

But it was dark. Very, very dark. The kind of dark that one tends to experience during sleep. But there was no comfort to be found in this darkness. The girl was hesitant to keep going as this tunnel seemed without end.

But then a beacon of hope, a faint orange-red light at the end of the tunnel, told her to keep moving. Only one question came to mind as she got to the end, and that was "How long has this been here?"

She found herself greeted by an ephemeral sight. Lighting up a hexagon shaped cubbyhole were over a hundred altars, each one comprising of a wooden mantle marked by a name and an orb lit by an eternal red flame. The girl's skin quivered as she stared at them, and they appeared to be staring back as she inched closer to the center of the room.

She gripped her arms and cuddled herself to keep warm amidst this unnatural chill. But then she muttered "Owie!" as her knee rammed right into solid stone.

She backed up a bit and saw that the stone made a pillar three feet tall with a hexagonal platform laid atop it, another orb of glass nestled in the center. The orb confined a neon colored fog that moved with a mind of its own. It stirred, curiously, with seemingly no purpose.

Yet the glass could've been empty for all the girl cared and she still would've picked it up and cupped it in her hands. Upon suspending it before her face she stared at the fog for a good minute and then pressed her right ear up against it.

"_Mrghhhll..."_ A gurgling noise similar to a snore only further piqued her curiosity.

She leaned her head back and shook the fear from her body. Stories of genies, wizards and dragons weren't mere fairytales to someone like her. A response to this curious artifact most people would call stupid would in fact be normal behavior for her.

"...Hello?" She inquired meekly to the orb, "I-Is anyone listening? If you are then...Would you grant my wish? Its nothing big I just...could really, really use some help."

That spark of innocent belief coupled with a dash of curiosity was blended together and thrown down the drain not a moment later. The girl shook her head, dropped the orb upon its pedestal and swung her hands out with a gasp of disbelief towards herself, "W-What am I doing? This is dumb, dumb, dumb...!"

She turned away from the orb and scurried towards the tunnel, only looking back once to throw a dry laugh of mockery, "Wish granting orb...Like it'd be that easy..."

As she seals the door and is on her way, little does she know she'll be looking back at this day...As the day she got her wish.

**CLASH OF THE ELEMENTS PART 5(R): The Lover from the Lost Aura**

**Chapter 1: All Things Routine**

Rocky Mountains, Washington State. Not exactly the first place you'd think to go when it comes to finding a place to live, with the hostile winters and abundant trees. But hey, some people are just crazy like that. The person in question this time is crazy, yes, but not because he lives up on the mountains. He didn't have a choice in the matter really.

Wedged between the mountain crag out of sight from most human eyes is a two-story wooden yellow house with a brown slat rooftop. The house's size is average, but the person living inside is certainly not who you'd call "average".

Right now that person is resting under a twisted up black and red square that was once known as a bedsheet. His bare feet poke out at the end, while his right arm is bent up underneath the side of his head.

An alarm clock rings a few feet away, only to be swiftly turned off by a teeny tiny bolt of lightning shot from the boy's fingertip.

He grips the edge of his sheet and shoves it off his face hard enough to send the whole thing off the bed, where it falls like a feather and bundles up between the three-tiered drawers and the edge of the bed.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaw..." The person stretches their limber arms over their head with an impassioned yawn and then smacks their lips until a spark of life goes off in their perking blue eyes.

As they swing their legs off the side of the bed they points their hands towards the drawers like finger guns and with one enthusiastic "Bang!" the middle and bottom drawer swing right open and out pop a black t-shirt and blue jeans.

They vault off the bed as the jeans fly onto their legs and raises their hands to catch the descent of their shirt. Then they land feet first on the ground and with a sharp turn to the left finds themselves face to face with a mirror.

The person then gives their appearance a quick comb over.

"Shirt straightened, flame decal on the chest..." They say while tugging on the faded decal with one hand.

"Jeans fit just fine..." They say while wiggling the belt area up closer to the waist.

"Skin's clean, still no zits..._I hope_..." They murmur while leaning their face in closer and giving his cheeks the quick pat down.

"Aaaand hair..." Their eyes bolt up in an instant to their spiky brown hair. A lot of his longer hairs stretch forward, defying the laws of physics. One strand of hair dangles away from the rest, but with one finger the person gently pushes the hair back into place.

Then with a pearly white smile this six-foot tall boy gives two huge thumbs-up at the mirror and declares "Look out world, here comes Mew!"

The boy then trots out of his bedroom and makes his way down the very short hall. The cold hardwood floors work out the last bit of tiredness by the time he reaches the holy grounds for all adolescent males...The living room!

Yep, with a leather two-seat couch set the perfect distance away from the widescreen TV, a stained glass table to lay ones feet upon, and a plethora of video game consoles connected to said TV, this is the perfect getaway from all of life's more stressful moments.

And if one gets hungry, there's always a small kitchen behind the chest high wall the couch leans against.

Walking sideways, Mew flicks his pointer fingers up multiple times, shooting more of those tiny lightning bolts to turn on the TV, blender, and stovetop in quick succession. And without breaking his stride, he turns and lays his hand upon the front door's knob.

The door is swung open as Mew closes his eyes and sniffs in the fresh mountain scent.

"And is that a hint of dew drops? Nice, niiice..." Mew bobs his head as he walks out onto the grassy grounds, coating the bottom of his feet with air to keep his socks dry. He then peeks up, lays a hand sideways against his forehead, and is drowned by an abundance of shadows.

"Hooooowee!" He hollers like the stereotypical farmer at the start of spring at the sight of his cornstalks, which poke up out of the ground at roughly ten feet tall, their weight kept in check by a series of wooden stakes in the dirt.

The raspberries are similarly tall and lined up against a fence, while dozens of strawberries lie in wait to be plucked beneath them. All this and more can be found in the space that his house doesn't already occupy.

"Alrighty. Now what am I going to nibble on today...?" He says while advancing upon the garden with a predatory gaze and toothy grin. His eyes fixate upon the strawberries and with a gentle shrug he goes "Pfft, like it'd be anything else."

He kneels down to pluck the ripest strawberries into a steel bowl he happened to have nearby. He counts each and every one until he has a full dozen and not a single more. But when he gets up he's greeted by an antagonistic bleat.

"Huh?" He quickly turns to the right and sees a wild billy goat with his big, thick horns on full display. The goat kneads its toes into the dirt and leans its head down.

Mew slowly places his bowl on the ground and then kneels down square in the goat's line of sight. He spreads his legs, places his arms between them, then smirks.

"Come on..." With one brow raised fiercely he wags his right hand inward, "Gimme your best shot."

With one higher pitched bleat the goat tears ass to bowl Mew over. Mew just stands there and gently raises his fist up, where it only budges back a centimeter when the goat's forehead connects with it.

"Hehe..." Mew smiles, unfurls his hand, and gently pets the goat's soft, damp fur.

"You've gotten way stronger these past two years Billy! I _totally_ could've fallen that time!"

The goat bleats slowly and satisfyingly as it wiggles its head around. Mew then glances around at the garden and murmurs "Lets see now..." and upon eyeing the carrot patch his pupils light up and he snaps his fingers to pluck one up.

He puts it near the goat's mouth and it quickly bites down. After consuming the whole thing in seconds it turns around and walks back towards the mountain. Mew stands to wave the goat over while hollering "Say hi to the kids for me!" to which the goat replies with one last bleat.

"Hehehe...haaa..." As the enthusiasm seems to deflate in his voice, Mew springs back to his feet with bowl of strawberries in hand and yells "Welp! Back to business as usual!"

He waltzes right back into the house and throws the bowl straight at the kitchen like a shotput. The bowl bounces off a boingy cloud and lands right in front of the blender. Mew slides in, gently knocks the side of the bowl, and watches the strawberries go flying into the blender.

After counting down to zero he snaps his fingers and the blender starts up, churning the red berries down to a fine pink paste. All the while Mew does some embarrassing hand motions and twirls that can be only vaguely described as "dancing" on the way to the fridge, where he pulls out a jar of lemonade and "dances" his way back.

He then puts the lemonade down as the blender stops and pops the lid off. He whisks his pointer fingers around and around like he's conducting an orchestra as the strawberries and lemonade twirl into a unified spiral that descend into a plain cylindrical glass Mew creates out of thin air.

"Perfect!" He says as the crescendo to his confection concerto. He then lifts the glass up, rubs his chin, and stares at it for a bit.

"Buuuut, it could use one. Little..." He dings the front of the glass with his right finger and mutters "Touch!"

And like that, part of the glass pushes outward to form a flame insignia. He then nods, hops over the wall with one hand, and plants his butt firmly on the couch with his eyes glued to the TV.

"Sluuurrrrrrpp..." Mew sucks down the ice cold strawberry lemonade with his lips puckering into a smile. Then he plants his feet atop the table, lays his arms atop the back of the couch, and lets out a long gasp of bliss.

"This...isthelife!" He says as his body slowly becomes one with the leathery cushions around him, and his mind consumed by lethargy.

He stares at the news on TV and hears talk of robberies and a couple killings. With a droopy look in his eyes he taps a finger down on the side of the chair and uses a bolt of electricity to flip channels over to another station.

There they talk about a sudden flash flood that happened in California, prompting Mew to prop himself upright and go "Ah what, again? That's the second overnight flood in the last month..."

He lays back down and in the middle of flipping channels lifts his eyes towards his head and jots down a mental note "Note to self...make a trip down to California and FIX THEIR CLOUDS."

His eyes then perk up as he hears something similar to a bone cracking.

"Oh neat! Sports!" But the moment he sees baseball his eyes slump until fully closed, upon which he swiftly changes stations and goes "Pass..."

He then lazily gazes at the calendar to the right and grumbles "Just three more months until football season..."

The next station includes more weather talk, bringing about more than a little exasperation from Mew's mouth as he sighs "Geez, where's the friggin' positivity?"

He throws an arm up in an arc and says "The sun's shining! The goats are bleating! The fruits are ripe! Where's all THAT news?"

After staring at the TV a bit longer, Mew just smirks and chuckles in a lighthearted manner "Heh, all part of the routine" and is about to switch channels to something more comedic when all of a sudden...

"_A Class 4 Hurricane is barreling its way down the south coast. The first of the season, residents have been advised to remain cautious, as weather reports suggest this could quickly become a Class 5."_

Mew stares at the screen as the perspective shifts from the newscaster to a shot of the hurricane winds spinning their way towards the Florida shoreline, whipping up the waters and sand in its way.

"Boy, somebody must've pissed in Mother Nature's cereal something fierce..." After that laid back jest Mew lays his lemonade on the table, stands up, and spins his right arm in circles while strolling towards the door.

"Don't worry Florida folk...I'm on my way!"

Once outside the house he thrusts his twirling arm towards the sky and rockets off towards the thin layer of clouds dissolving under the might of the sun's warm rays. Tickled pink by the droplets of water in the clouds on his skin, Mew giggles and then points himself southeast.

He uses the clouds for cover as he speeds through the skies faster than lightning's descent, the wind in his face and a lot of dirt and dust going flying around him. His body stays straight as an arrow until he can feel the winds ahead growing wilder, upon which he straightens upright and digs his feet into the air to brake.

His hair shuffles about a bit as the howls of wind brush up against his ears. The eye of the hurricane lays directly below him, with the surrounding gray clouds following its guidance towards a path of damp devastation. Being sandwiched between the clear blue skies and ugly clouds offered Mew a perspective very few get to enjoy.

"I'd love to take a picture, but..." Mew weaves his fingers together and then stretches them out until his knuckles crack, "You got a _terrible_ smile."

Mew thrusts his hands down with a "Hup!" and pretends he's squeezing the edges of this gargantuan hurricane. He then pushes his hands inward, pretending to put up a struggle with some exaggerated grunts and groans.

The hurricane whittles down from a Class 5 to a Class 3 in seconds, then dwindles down to a mere Class 1 after a few more seconds. By the time the whirlwind of clouds are down to a thimble in size from Mew's perspective, he pops his hands wide open and the winds scatter harmlessly to the, well...winds.

"And another one bites the dust..." Mew whispers triumphantly while wiping the sweat off his brow. He then floats upside-down and creates a makeshift pair of binoculars out of pure glass, pointing them down at Florida while continuing to hum the lyrics to that song.

"And another one gone, another one gone..."

He has a big smile on his face from seeing the citizens of Florida ecstatic to see the hurricane has gone. A couple of them prop up signs saying "Thanks!", causing Mew to go "Awww, you guys..." and adopt a humble blush.

He watches a group of friends get into an SUV and drive off, celebrating with their arms thrown high. He winds up following them for a bit, and can see them singing a song that's playing on the radio.

He tries to hum what he imagines their listening to, but then his lips start to sag. He moves his binoculars back near the beach, where he sees plenty of people resuming their funtime festivities. His lips sink further.

Then he happens upon a couple sharing a kiss under the shade of an umbrella, with a girl tugging the umbrella down to make the interaction a little more...**intimate**.

Mew's heart joins his lips in sagging like elephant skin flaps, and he slowly pulls the binoculars away and spins his body back upright. As he hangs them by his chest, he shakes his head a bit, smiles, and lets out a sigh.

"_Ooooone is the loneliest number that you'll ever dooo..." _A malfested voice whispers into Mew's head with the kind of raspiness one would expect from a person with a sore throat.

Mew closes his eyes and lets out an even longer sigh while pinching the side of his forehead, "Mornin' sleepyhead. Y'know I heard Vitamin _'D.'_ helps keeps you energized."

"_Cute," _The guttural sounding demon whispered, _"But pointless. And sorely unfunny."_

"Says the demon quoting Three Dog Night." Mew snarks back, rolling his eyes as he lays a hand up by his shoulder and shakes his head with a hint of pity, "Face it 'D.', your comedy act needs new material."

"_You're a human, a teenager at that..." _The demon known as "D." snickers something fierce, _"I have got...__**plenty**__ to work with."_

"Uh-huh..." Mew dozes off a bit stretching his arms above his head for a second, "You just keep telling yourself that..."

He then rockets through the skies to head home. Unfortunately as much as he'd loooove for the laws of aerodynamics to drown the demon's arrogant screeches out, there's no getting rid of the voices in your head THAT easily.

"_You can't keep this up forever boy. Someday you will be torn down...Little, by little, by little...And you __**will **__be mine." _

Mew lowering his head to appear deep in thought gets the demon cackling, but once he raises his eyes up towards his forehead he asks nonchalantly "Hey, how long do you think it'll be before the heat death of the universe?"

"_...And the first thing I shall do...Is take __**great **__pleasure in nailing your mouth shut."_

"Whaaaaatever." Mew ends that conversation with the care it deserves and minutes later drops back down to his humble home.

The rest of the day is spent fiddling around with video games and watching TV. He uses the crops from his garden to make some stir-fry for dinner, during which he stares at his plate and messes with one of the mushrooms.

"Hmmm...mushroom trampoline..." He presses down atop the mushroom with one pinky and puts up zero resistance, causing the finger to spring back up, and making him smile.

"Hehehe yeah! Alright." After logging that idea away in an ever-growing list of them, Mew eats through his dinner and then decides "What the heck" and heads off to bed early.

He makes his bed all tidy, fluffs the pillows, and then pulls back the cover so he can slip on in. Then he plops on top of the bed, ruffling the sheets up, and tucks himself in with his hands folded behind his head.

"Early to bed, early to rise..." He smiles and slowly shuts his eyes to be greeted by the everlasting darkness of sleep.

Shockingly, he's asleep within the hour. What kind of dreams does someone like him dream of? Well tonight, its a rather curious dream, one teetering on being real.

His vision during the dream is drowned in a neon fog, but the voice beyond is crystal clear as a girl's.

"_...Hello?"_

The unconscious Mew smiles while his subconscious thinks "That's a cute voice..."

"_I-Is anyone listening?"_

Mew's head bobs up and down slowly.

"_If you are then...Would you grant my wish? Its nothing big I just...could really, really use some help."_

"Go ooon..." He mutters in the dead of night, but no response ever comes. His lips curl into a frown, and then he continues to sleep until the crack of morning.

When the alarm goes off this time, he throws his arms and legs around and gets tangled up in his bedsheet. His body rolls off the left side of the bed, with him hastening to say "Whoa whoa WHOA!" right as his head slams against the windowsill and he collapses onto the floor.

The alarm keeps going, with Mew's eyes dazed and confused until he shakes his head. Then he lifts himself up a bit, constrained by this cocoon of cotton, and murmurs to himself "...Well that was weird..."

After restoring order to his mundane routine, Mew walks out, grabs some more strawberries, prepares the blender, and sits back down in front of the TV with a lemonade in hand. All the while he's got this puzzled look in his eyes.

"Never had a dream like_ that _before..." The faint echoes of that girl's voice light up his cheeks in a translucent blush as he smiles partway and stutters, "W-Wasn't a bad one though..."

He then goes to take a sip of his lemonade while watching TV. His eyelids shut, and for that brief moment the infinite darkness is replaced by that similar fog from his dream. Beyond it lies a glistening smile of some fair-skinned maiden, whose sultry giggle makes Mew's heart skip a bit.

"Phhhhptttt!" Mew widens his eyes and spits out his drink on the table, then stares at his glass and wonders, "Did some worms get in my crops somehow?"

He falls back down onto the couch and rolls his head a bit before letting out a gasp of "I'm losing my mind here..."

"_Oh I assure you this is no hallucination, little Mew." _

A lady-like voice with a smooth, thick accent gets Mew's heart racing. Automatically he stares up at his head and assumes "Pretending to be a hot woman now are ya? Didn't think you were so depraved 'D.'!"

"_This isn't __**my **__doing..." _The demon's answer comes with an aggressive growl.

"_I know this is sudden, but don't dismay. I won't bite~"_

With Mew's blood pumping every whichway, he takes a brief gulp and inquires "W-Who are you?"

"_An old friend. Not of yours, perse, but of the one whose title you bear the weight of...Elemental Overlord."_

_Next Time: The Hidden City_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Lost Lenore**

Lost in the siren's song of the woman's voice, it takes Mew a few seconds of fluttering his eyelashes to formulate a response from brain to tongue.

"I-I'm sorry...What did you call me?" His tone a mix of confusion and prepubescent giggling.

"_Elemental Overlord. That...is what you are, right?"_ The lady then turned up her teasing tone from a one to a spicy five, _"Ooooh, maybe I got the wrong number?"_

"No no no!" Mew stands right up and swings his hands out as if the lady was within arms' reach. He then put on his best smile and propped a thumbs-up before his chest.

"Elemental Overlord Mew, the one and only, at your service!" The certainty in his voice left the mysterious waif laughing, and Mew a little stiff in the knees.

She delicately answered "I know" and then told him _"Ease up. Sit back down. Then we can talk."_

Mew slowly followed her directions. He was hypnotized by both voice and words. But the picture was incomplete. It require a little more...color. He gently closes his eyes to try and gauge her appearance through the fog.

She left neither hair nor hand in view. Her pearly whites acted as the gateway keeping Mew trapped inside his hormone driven imagination.

A dark soon began to poison the view, joined by a certain demon's feral growls. Mew had heard "D." growl before, it was practically his default tone. But something about his voice this go around was more aggressive, fearful almost.

"_Still playing with men's hearts...Witch?"_

The lady's smile did not defer to the demon's accusations, _"I almost didn't see you there. Funny, I thought parasites were supposed to have a short life span."_

"_You always had a spiteful way with words..."_ After a tense pause with Mew wedged between these two clashing egos, "D." gave him a brief heart attack by forcing his hazy yellow eyes between him and the source of his flight of fancy.

"_If there's any time to listen to me do so now boy. Do NOT entertain this woman's request. Lest your life be forfeit."_

Once Mew's shock passed he blinked a few times then mentally shoved the demon aside. The lady's smile remained unshaken, though now it seemed amused.

"Well the nasty demon in my head says not to trust you soooo..." Mew's lips crease into a mocking smile towards "D.", "What do you want from me?"

"_You blithering...! Ghhhh...!" _Mew safely shoved the demon's agony into the back of his head as the woman's soothing voice continued to get a rise out of him.

"_Hmm, I don't know...What I require is someone strong..."_

Mew flexes his decently impressive biceps and declares, "That's me!"

"_Someone brave..."_

"Show me an army of ferocious dragons and I'd knock 'em down!" Mew bragged with his chest puffed out and a sneer.

"_Someone...capable." _That requested was spoken with a deeper voice than the rest, as though it was attempting to re-contextualize the tone her prior words carried.

"C-Capable...?" Mew's confidence deflated like a hot air balloon in the cold. He rubbed the back of his head and murmured, "Capable as iiiiin?"

"_Come to my place and you can find out~"_

"W-Whoa..." Mew's mind began to drift off, his cheeks turning red like newly blossomed roses.

"_You will find me at my city floating above the North Pole. I shall contact you again once you arrive." _And like a nightlight flickering off, her smile and the fog around it went dark.

Mew laid back against the couch feeling pretty good about himself. He even had this big dumb grin for an entire minute. But then it slapped him right in the face and caused him to jolt upright with a gasp of shock, "The N-North Pole?!"

A little later he's in his room checking his belongings to see if there's anything important he needs. As he's busy haphazardly tossing stuff onto the bed he mutters aloud, "Got to leave a good first impression."

"_Unbelievable..." _"D." growls.

"Oh give it a rest 'D.'," Mew responds, "Why would I ever trust you?"

"_Why should you trust __**her**__?" _"D." throws back with spite, _"Oh, that's right. Because her sultry wiles appealed to your masculine sensitivities..." _

Mew bites his teeth down and chuckles, "I-Its not like that!"

"_Think with your head boy! And not the one suffocating in your pants..."_

As Mew motions for the drawers he remarks "Yeah yeah yeah. I gave it plenty of thought."

He a pointer finger up separate from the rest, "One, she requested an Elemental Overlord's help. She must be in the know about all that."

Then he holds up his middle finger "Two, she doesn't like you. So obviously she's trustworthy."

"_Everyone despises me, that hatred serves as my lifeblood."_ "D." pleasurably retorts, causing Mew to roll his eyes.

"_...The maestro plays beautiful music because they know how to press the right keys to make the piano sing their tune."_

Mew stares at his open drawers and hovers his right hand over the shirts, which are all exactly the same as the one he's wearing now.

"This one looks good." He picks up the leftmost one and swaps them out. He then looks at himself in the mirror and gives his face the ol' pat down. With a brimming smile accentuated by him pressing his cheeks he says "Lookin' like a real lady killer there Mr. Mew!"

"_...Of all the Hells I could've wound up in, why, oh why, must I be stuck in this one?"_

As Mew waltzes out the door he stares up and chuckles "Hey cheer up, maybe this gal will be able to get you out."

"_Hmph, if I could be so lucky..."_

After grabbing a quick snack from the garden Mew takes off. He reconfirms his disbelief at what he's doing, then flies straight for the North Pole.

A thin projection of fire keeps the cold off his back as the temperatures drop below zero. Though, parts of his body were already feeling hot enough to melt snow.

With a constant smile he thinks back to the image of the mystery woman's own smile. His vivid sense of imagination wanted to piece together her appearance prematurely. She was a puzzle without edges but curves instead.

Once he started with the bare essentials of her skin and frame he saw fit to dress her. _"The soothing voice of a temptress..." _Surely that belonged to a woman with little shame in how she was clothed.

"_Sleeveless. Low-cut. Cloth cut down to expose the legs, leaving the rest to act as curtains for her front and back." _Mew slowly bobbed his head.

Mew's eyes moved for the face and wanted to fill in that blank canvas with hair and glittering eyes...But he paused at the chest. _"Speaking of 'filling in'..."_ Mew began to nudge his eyebrows up and down.

"_STOP! Cease at once!" _"D." hissed like he dowsed his eyes in a full gallon of bleach.

Mew's eyes opened sharply and "D." crassly continued, _"Is it bad enough I suffer your idiocy?! Now you plague me with your endless sexual urges?!"_

Mew couldn't help but snicker as he said, "Y-You sure took your sweet time stopping me."

"_...Because its scary how accurate your assessment of that witch is." _"D." growls, and Mew goes "Huh?"

He then gets the idea to ask, "Say 'D.', you seem to know who this woman is. Think you can tell me more?"

"_Forget it. You're on your own." _The demon dismissed him like a brat.

Mew shakes his head and sighs, "Someday you're going to have to pay rent dude..."

He looks up just in time to see a slight distortion in the sky that he rams face first into. The rest of his body follows suit. He lays there for a few seconds as "D." gets his laughs in.

"_Oh but moments like these are simply priiiceless..."_

After peeling away Mew pays down the invisible space and goes "Hmmm..." He squints his eyes and pats a little higher. His fingertips touch empty air and phase a little into it. Mew puckers his lips, raises his hand on the right, then starts to close his hand.

He grips onto a solid ledge, grins, then with a form "Hup!" he pulls himself straight through an invisible force field. After a short slide on a floor of glass Mew stands and looks around.

"Whoa..." He pauses and holds his mouth open for a moment or two.

The city stretched for miles and floated independently of any laws of physics known to man. The skyline dome kept the suns' rays in but shoo'd out the chilling arctic winds, making the whole city feel brighter than it should be. Mew's expectations for the houses were a lot more whimsical than the straightforward tribal huts he was presented with.

Below the glass throbbed and pulsed waves of energy the likes of which he never felt. He could tell that the energy was responsible for keeping the city afloat.

Everything he described to this point paled in comparison to the surprise he felt once he looked at the people who lived here.

They wore an odd assortment of clothes befitting the era, like t-shirts, sneakers and caps, or unfitting such as kimonos, toga dresses and corsets...But they all dressed in the same skin, hair and bone he proudly wore day after day.

"They're...humans?" Mew's jaw remained slacked as he waited for the trick to drop. Antennas popping up on the head. Skin color changing. Bodies cracking apart to reveal the predatory hellspawn inside.

He leaned in and brushed his hands up with a mute "Weeell...?", but the people just looked at him funny and continued on their way.

The only oddball here was him. What he saw was all he'd get out of them. There was no reason to fear or panic, but there WAS a reason for Mew to droop his head and sigh.

"That's...kind of disappointing. I was expecting aliens...Or wizards," Mew then raised his head, crossed his arms and pondered, "Still, what are a bunch of humans doing here? North Pole ain't exactly in the Top 10 Real Estate spots..."

"_Well, why not take a moment to look around?" _The woman's voice made Mew jump and let out a yelp that got the other humans staring back at him for a little longer.

He turns to avoid their narrow gazes as he stammers out "S-Sorry can you repeat that?" to the second voice in his head.

"_On the northern part of town you'll find a temple. That's where I shall be waiting. Feel to take your time. Relax. Get to know our city a little more."_

"Wait!" Mew had some questions but she was as gone as quickly as she had intruded. Dropping his head, Mew grumbled "I don't even know what the temple looks like..."

He picks his head up and turns around with a finger already raised straight out, "North's that way...Guess I'll get a move on."

The idea of "walking" was pretty foreign to Mew, but its probably for the best that he take it slow in this unknown location. Once Mew made his way to the menagerie of huts he found himself blending right in with the people. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was still off about them.

"Its like they all walked out of Earth History Con X. I mean good grief who'd be caught dead wearing disco pants this day and age?" This loud opinion clung to no one's ear as he walked by.

He found himself glancing at a lot of their right arms and noticed they were adorned with stone bracelets, "And what's with those? Is that what's trendy here?"

A small grin a moment later showed this was all in good jest on his part. He kept his eyes forward and remarked, "I bet I'm the first person from Earth to visit this place! How exciting!"

Mew saw some kids playing hopscotch, others his age hanging around outside a juice bar, and some adults talking about what their kids are doing. All this done without stuffing their faces against a smart phone.

But that wasn't the first technology whose absence Mew felt. He sniffed the air and murmured "No carbon..." meaning there wasn't any cars. But there were no bikes, skateboards or scooters either. People's feet were the go-to mode of transportation.

There seemed to be other ways to pass the time though. Entire buildings a few dozen blocks large were dedicates to recreational activities like basketball, rock climbing, and yoga. There was a hospital for the sick, some grocery stores filled with food, and even a massive three-story mall for all other needs.

Yet the way these buildings were built out of stone and metal and glass was too eerily similar to what Mew was used to on Earth. Even when he took a brief detour into the grocery store he did not find anything to the city there. Just slap-dashed parodies of popular brand names awaited him.

"Aur-eos" for Oreos, "Choco Puffs" for Cocoa Puffs, and the most insulting of all...

"Toridos? Toridos?!" Mew slapped the bag of chips formerly known as Doritos back onto the shelf and left the store in a huff.

The magic of this place was dwindling down fast as this city came across more as a mausoleum of Earth culture over the years than some hidden alien habitat. But, at least there was still the temple to look forward to.

"Maybe that's where all the magic is," Mew thought aloud.

After reorienting his sense of direction he walked northbound and just kept walking. It wasn't very long until he found the place.

It was about two hundred feet tall and god knows how many feet long. The corners of the building were pointed like obelisks up, and there were some stained glass windows that Mew saw when he peeked around them. But the windows were in no condition to display anything but the dust and grime that was so thick he might as well been staring at swamp water.

The rest of the building fared no better. He could tell that his place was a paragon of beauty at some point. No amount of scars, and there were a LOT of scars, could cover up the smooth blue crystals that were used to put this temple together. With all this damage present Mew's eyes quickly locked on to an out-of-place graffiti tag on the rusted up front doors.

A ring of words saying "Aurian Approved" surrounded a hand giving a thumbs up. The striking crimson paint could've been seen a mile away. Mew snickered as he stared at the tag and thought about what it meant.

"Heh, well someone's been a little rebellious haven't they?" He whispers. He thought perhaps this place was respected at one point, but then why would the graffiti artist say they "Approve" of it if they were defaming the place with their spray paint?

"Perhaps the woman waiting inside could tell me" Was what Mew thought as he stared at the door some more. The fifty foot gates were the last thing standing between him and the mysterious gal who called him up here. Getting his last second ideas in about what she looked like, Mew slowly raised one hand to the door and pushed it open.

"Hello?" He cast his greeting into the echoing void as he peeked past the doors and headed on in. The inside of the temple was in better shape, but that's like saying that ants are prettier than worms. Mew at least didn't have to fear kicking up a cloud of dust into his nostrils with every step.

"Hello?!" He hollered again with a lot more 'Oomph!' in his voice. His eyes wandered around and saw decapitated statues on the sides, five to each row.

He froze up for just a moment and murmured, "From normal city to spooky crypt...The hell's up with this place?"

He couldn't decide if the lack of wind in this place made it more creepy or less creepy. When he thought he heard one of the statues creak, he had to say "More creepy. Definitely more creepy..."

Through the dim shadows of the temple Mew say someone standing in front of a barren wall with their head lifted. He squinted to try and get a closer look, and all of a sudden a familiar voice spoke not through his mind, but directly before him.

"Hmhm, how about I make this a little easier for you?"

Mew's eyes widened as the person turned and slowly made their way out of the shadows and into the limelight. First her legs step into view, covered on the bottom by white socks and brown sandals, while the rest was obscured by beige jeans. Not the most tantalizing first impression, but that was where the rest of the body compensated.

Most of the rest of her body was covered up by a silk teal robe adorned with pink cloud prints and a sash around the waist. But all that clothing could do was fight and struggle to contain her hourglass frame. Mew was only mildly ashamed to compare the size of the woman's breasts to cantaloupes, and only a tiny bit less ashamed to notice that her hips were wider than her chest.

A dark pink undershirt concealed the gaping cleavage, and the act of her gently laying her right hand atop the chest concealed only served to conceal it further. With a whisper of "Tut tut tut..." the lady succeeded in drawing Mew's lucid glare towards her face.

Her skin was as smooth as her robe. Utterly flawless, an almost unfair contrast from the ugly temple atmosphere. Her hair and eyes, much like her robe, were teal. The hair was kept in a bowl cut with the sides curved down to her ear lobes, and a half circle of her hair at the front dyed bright pink. On one ear was a golden moon earring, on the other a golden sun. Curiously though, what glittered more than her gold was her eyes, which contained literal sparkles in the irises.

With the kind of smile that'd melt ice, the woman left her eyes half open and asked the dumbstruck, slobbering boy, "Is that better?"

"Hoooly shit..." Mew let slip free from his mouth. As a cold sweat formed on his forehead he tried really, really, REALLY hard to maintain eye contact.

"_Focus dude...Say something to break the ice...Take it nice and sloooooow..."_

"H-How's it going sweet tits?" Mew said with a partway sincere smile, only to crease his lips together right away. He shifts his gaze to the left with his pupils shrunk and then curses himself out in his head, _"Shit! No!"_

The woman lays her fingertips on her lips and starts giggling uncontrollably. Mew stares at her and murmurs "I-It...worked?" then pretends to pump his fist before his chest while smiling and weakly going "Yes!"

She then lowers her hand by her chest and closes the last few inches between them, pushing her chest up against his while laying her cold fingers up against the boy's cheek. His body reacts with a blush while his eyes shift from her hand to her face.

Now that they were in each others personal space Mew noticed one last detail that tickled his fancies. She wasn't looking straight at him, but _down _at him. And there were no heels or leaning involved. She was naturally an inch or two taller than him.

His knees were weak but the last thing he was going to do was let the pressure take him down. Keeping his eyes on her face, he noticed her smile subtracting a tiny bit as she appeared to him. The gentle caress of her hand moved down to his chin, where she gave it a brief pat and then pulled it and herself back.

"Just like him..." Mew swears he heard her say.

She then laid her hand back upon her chest and tilted her head an inch to the side, "I'm sorry. You must be so confused. Perhaps it'd make things better if I introduce myself?"

The sincerity in her voice did not unnoticed. Mew stammered a bit with "S-Sure" and then tucked his hands into his pockets to finally learn the fair maiden's name.

"My name is Auris Aurora. And I welcome you to Sancturia, the city of the Aurians."

"Auris...Aurora?" On the tip of his tongue the name sounded familiar, but the more Mew thought on it the less recognizable it became.

He quickly raises his brows and tries to compensate for his lack of manners by hastily saying "Oh right, my name is-"

"I already know silly. Or have you forgotten why you came here that soon?" Auris stated, resuming the kind of teasing Mew had been introduced to her by.

"R-Right..." Mew rubs the back of his head and chuckles, then pops one eye open and says, "Soooo...This place is called Sancturia?"

"Do you like it?" Auris asks while beginning to walk around Mew, his eyes drawn to her like a lovesick puppy.

"The name or the city?" He wonders as he picks up his shaky legs and follows her along to the door.

"Take your pick," She offered with her hand extended beside her shoulder, "You've had plenty of time to think of both."

"Well..." Mew crosses his arms and looks down, "I guess I was expecting a lot more mysticism?"

He lays his hands up by his sides and says, "A floating city's rad and all, but seriously? No hoverboards? No two-headed beasts?"

"Hmmm, yes..." Auris grabs onto the door and slips through, turning her head over her shoulder to tease Mew with an appetizer of info, "Perhaps I'll need to fix that."

Once they're both out she closes up the temple, where Mew looks back at the graffiti for a few seconds and finds his thoughts on it to now be outdated. He keeps pace with Auris a couple feet behind her and says to her, "You said you guys are called Aurians."

"Correct."

"And that's...**not** a person's name?"

"Also correct."

"Huh..." Mew stopped for a moment to think then picked up the pace to catch back up, "Then do you know who put that graffiti on the temple?"

"I do," She whispered with a subtle nod of her head, "Its just a child who wants their voice to be heard. Nothing wrong with that, no?"

"Can't deny the paint's an improvement..." Mew smirked then wondered aloud, "Unlesssss that kid also dirtied the place up."

Auris plants her feet firmly down then swerves back with her left hand extending a bit off from her hip. She gives it a brief twirl as she inquires lovingly, "Do you sincerely believe that one child could damage a temple that badly?"

Mew lifts his eyes and imagines himself as a kid using his powers to slap a ton of dirt on the temple walls. He then slacks a grin and answers "Maybe?"

"Hmmm..." Auris gently closes her eyes with a smile then continues moving forward.

As Mew starts walking he immediately asks "Where are we going anyways?"

"My house. Its not far from here." She even takes a moment to try and single it out among all the other huts. Straight from here, its roughly another five-foot walk, so they'd get there within a minute or two at their pace.

Mew decided to take it upon himself to fill the dead air with conversation. Laying his hands behind his head he tried HARD not to focus on her hips. They were swaying a only a little bit, like she was holding back deliberately.

"A-Ahem..." Mew coughs out his dirty thoughts for a brief moment, "Tell me a little more about yourself Auris. You called the Elemental Overlord an 'old friend'...Was he like, close to one of your distant ancestors?"

"No." Was her simple, ambiguous response.

"No? Ummm..." Mew rolls his eyes around a bit and tries to think of another way to connect the two. He stares at Auris and remarks in his head, _"She's older than me...But still young enough to be my big sister. Maybe she's just a huge Elemental Overlord fanatic?"_

The one time "D." would be useful to him and the demon had to go and clam up. With one big sigh Mew accepts that he'd only get answers as Auris saw fit to give them.

Finally they were at her abode, which looked no different from the rest on the outside. But perhaps, finally, Mew would find something in there that'd blow his socks off. Auris took her hand to the cloth doorway and pushed it aside to allow Mew first.

Mew stood in front of her then paused, backed up a moment, and held his arms towards the door with genuine sincerity to his actions, "Ladies first."

Auris smiled, then took her left hand and pressed it against his back to push him in. Mew stumbled a couple steps before getting his footing back and taking a look around.

The floor was made up of mosaic tiles, the walls painted sky blue and made of plaster. There were two couches on opposing sides of a glass table, and both were adjacent to an average sized television. Behind the farthest couch was a small, cozy fireplace currently devoid of wood, and to the right of that was the entrance to the kitchen.

There was a bookshelf to the left of the fireplace, a closet to the right of the kitchen, and a knee-high drawer that served an unknown purpose to the right of the closet. From there Mew lifted his head and saw a curved staircase going up to the second floor.

"_Welp, still not mystical but..." _Mew smiled and shrugged, _"Least it feels like a home should be."_

Without even thinking about it Mew went to take a seat on the couch and his butt sank down into the comfort of the leather cushions in seconds.

"Oooh, this is nice..." He gasps as his eyes begin to close.

Auris walking on by gets his attention as she looks his way and says "I'll get us something to drink. Make yourself at home."

She disappears into the kitchen, only for Mew to realize he didn't tell her what he likes. But she must've been reading his mind, because when she comes back in she's carrying a glass of strawberry lemonade in each hand.

"How's this for you?" She says, leaning in to hand him a glass and then sitting down next to him once he accepts it.

Mew takes a sip of the drink and his tongue lights up from the overwhelming rush of ice cold fruity sweetness inside. He leans back, wiggles the glass around in his hand, then smiles to Auris and admits straight up, "I think I'm in love."

"With me or the lemonade?" She was eagerly curious to know as she took a sip of her drink.

Mew's pupils dilate as he coughs and tries to focus on his drink, which was the same color as his cheeks now, "I-I don't know...You got some competition."

As Mew takes another drink he glances off to the side at Auris' eyes piercing their way through to his heart. She closes her eyes up, almost like she understood how badly she was toying with him, only to then remark, "I get it. You're young...And veeeeery _thirsty_."

Mew's eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets as he lowers his glass and almost chokes on his drink. He punches his chest a couple times and tries to sit back upright, only for Auris putting her glass down on the table stopping him partway.

The temptation of his inner youthful urges was making his heart start to flutter. It would only get worse when Auris when from grabbing her glass to latching onto his upper left thigh in the blink of an eye. Her grip was gentle, as she only dug her fingernails in deep enough to get past the feeling of denim.

"_E-Excuse me...?" _Mew gasped in his head like a deflating helium balloon as his body tensed up, especially from his waist downward.

Auris' eyelids sank in an almost seductive fashion. No, "almost" nothing. Any doubts towards her intentions shot right out the window the moment she poked the tip of her tongue through her lips and glided between them twice over.

She leans in closer, using the grip on his leg to solidify her dominance over his will to resist. Mew uses the last of his strength to put his lemonade on the table and then allows his arms to retreat up against his chest. By then Auris has pulled more than half of her body over Mew's legs and was still getting closer.

"I know what its like to have..._urges_." Auris moaned that last word with her upper lip curling and her hand shifting position from his thigh to his shoulder. The other shoulder was pinned down soon after, and Auris rose over Mew with her knees rubbing up against the bottom of his own.

Caught under this woman's shadow, Mew felt small, yet big. Everything was moving so fast, so soon. He had known Auris all of ten minutes and she already more than prepared to please every last bit of his adolescent urges.

But...is this really what he wants?

Auris suddenly drops the weight of her chest onto Mew's own and puts her eyes at level with his. She takes in a deep, ragged breath as her cheeks turn a luminescent shade of pink and she lays her heart bare, "I've felt it for soooo long...This emptiness in my heart that yearns to be filled by the love of a _big_, _**strong**_, man..."

Her lips spread into a wicked smile as she leans her face in and breathes into his face, "Will you be that man, my dear little Elemental Overlord?"

To answer that earlier question?

"G-Gulp..." Mew swallows heavily as the sweat and trembling on his skin worsens.

Well...it is definitely growing harder to answer by the second.

_Next Time: The Overlord's Wife_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Bride of the Overlord**

"_H-How did it end up like this?" _Mew tried to recount the events that led up to the present, _"I got up. Got dressed. Got my strawberries. Spoke to a voice in my head...totally normal. Then, uh, another voice in my head. What am I, hosting a Skype call in here? Oh right, then I came to this city. Got insulted by a bag of chips. Met Auris. Apparently smooth-talked her into inviting me back to her place? Got comfy and cozy...A-And next thing I know she's mounted me like a stallion."_

He is currently being pressured by the unstoppable combination of her bountiful breasts on his chest and her firm thighs against his legs. She had him practically wrapped up like an anaconda and refused to let go.

With his lips puckered up in a wobbly smile and his face so red his eyes were washed of color, Mew stared into Auris' fluttering eyes and thought, _"Yep...j-just a normal day for me..."_

He refused to close his eyes because his pants might be lost forever by the time he blinked. All his options of escape were cut off. She had exploited his weaknesses physically and mentally.

"_O-Ok Mew think...You've got an older, super attractive babe pretty much all over you. What...what now?"_

He turns his brain inside out for answers then widens his eyes as he realizes that, _"Oh crap! Everything I know about love I learned from anime! They never show these parts!"_

Mew's head kept spinning as he looked at Auris and wondered why she had stopped making any advances.

"_I-Is she waiting for...me?" _Maybe the hormones in his brain were screwing with him, but he swore that Auris nodded in response to his private thoughts.

Many men his age would **kill** to be in his position. Many of them would also probably think twice before jumping to action. Mew...was not one of those men.

"_NO, listen here, Me, this is the opportunity of a lifetime! If you chicken out of it now you'll regret it forever! J-Just trust your instincts and it'll all work out...s-somehow..."_ But as Mew kept looking at Auris and waited for his body to act, he couldn't escape the feeling in the pit of his gut. A hard, inescapable admission of guilt.

"_...What am I thinking? I can't do this. I'm not ready..." _

Mew closed his eyes, took a very deep breath, and calmly started to say, "Listen Auris, I..."

He made the mistake of closing his eyes. When its prey shows fear, that's when the anaconda strikes. Auris' hands snagged onto Mew's wrists gently and applied pressure, opening his hands up. She then raises and lays them upon the boy's kryptonite - her breasts.

"What do you think?"

"S-S-Soft..." And real. Mew had never touched breasts in his life, except for suckling his mother's teat. But he _knew_ these were real. Auris' knowing smile after disarmed the last bit of resistance Mew could muster.

"Of course. I'm...rather proud of them."

"...Screw it." With a loud whisper Mew prepared to dive right in. Auris had set a fine table and prepared him a lovely meal. At this point, it would be rude not to dig in.

"M-MOM?!" A shrill gasp of shock from an unknown third party snapped right out of it. Auris got right off him and knelt on the couch to look over it. A moment later Mew scrambled to peek over the couch.

There was a girl standing at the door with a scowl most foul on her faded pink lips. She wears tattered blue jean shorts, using the pockets to prop her fists up in disapproval. Her legs have rough looking skin, especially on the right knee where a little dirt resided.

She wears a loose green t-shirt that, try as it might, couldn't hide her breasts. They weren't as big as Auris', but still impressive by Mew's high standards. Her chest is just about the only girlish thing about her appearance though.

Her cheek bones look rough around the edges. There's a small scar on her nose suggesting she's a scrapper. Atop her head is a red sports cap with her brown haired ponytail slipping through the hole in the back. And finally she wore a velcro headband with an iron plate around her neck.

Mew stares at her and slowly blinks as the girl is busy drilling into Auris with a glare from her bright blue eyes. Auris puts on an innocent smile and honeys her tone of voice into something more bubbly, "Oh honey, I didn't hear you come in."

The girl's eyes narrow as she mutters, "D-Don't you 'didn't hear you come in' me! What the HELL do you think you're doing mom?!"

"M-Mom?" Mew shifts his head over to Auris, then back to the girl, then back to Auris, back to the girl, and so forth and so forth. The only thing mother and daughter shared were the size of their breasts. It was a pretty sexually-driven observation but, like, he didn't have much control over where his eyes went at this point.

The daughter is also a few inches shorter than him and again, Mew wasn't trying to be rude, but he couldn't help but notice that she's a little pudgy around the waist. These things kind of just stick out in his eyes.

"And you," The girl turns her glare on him and dials it up to 11 as she asks, "What do **you** have to say for yourself?"

Mew's just confused on what the hell is going on here. He was so busy staring that he shut out the entire heated conversation, of which the aftermath left the daughter with red cheeks. And the only thing he can do in response is stare at the girl's breasts. The girl glares at him some more, then winds up following the trail of his gaze to her own chest.

She sucks her lips in, turns an even darker shade of red, then crosses her arms before her chest to cover it up. When her eyes start trembling she closes them, grumbles "Goddamn it!" and then marches to the stairs.

"I-I'll be in my room. Call me down when you decide to be an adult, mom!"

Mew sits up and exclaims, "H-Hold on I can expla-"

"Whatever, pervert!" The girl dismisses him outright by the time she's disappeared upstairs.

Mew then lays back against the arm of the couch and staring blankly at the ceiling. Auris readjusts herself so her feet are back on the ground. She giggles softly and says, "That was more fun than I expected~"

Mew lazily lifts one hand up and asks, "So you're a mother...?"

Auris lays a finger upon her lips and gives Mew a playful wink, "Guilty as charged!"

"And you coming onto me was all an act?" Mew said, sounding utterly defeated.

"Maaaaaaaybeeee..." Was the most disastorous and vague answer Auris could have given.

"..." Mew springs up, throws his hands out to grab Auris' and shake it vigorously. With a big grin he hastily told her, "Well it was nice meeting you and all but I got to get back to a normal, non-adultry life kthnxbai!"

As Mew stumbles on his feet to leave Auris lays one arm atop the back of the couch and says, "Make no mistake. I did tease you for my amusement."

Mew had one hand through the door when Auris turned up the sincerity in her voice by a noticeable degree, "But I do need your help. There's no one else I can turn to but you, Elemental Overlord."

Mew stops in place. He holds his hand out then leans his head back a bit and sighs quietly. He finally squeezes his hand into a fist, turns around, and walks right back to the couch opposite Auris' and takes a seat.

"Alright..." He calls the cup of strawberry lemonade into his hand and says with an earnest smile, "I'm all ears."

Auris closes her eyes and says, "First let me give you a proper introduction."

She gently lays a hand atop her chest and opens her eyes with a genuine sense of maturity to her posture, "My name is Auris Aurora, the Sage of the Aurians, and the wife of the original Elemental Overlord."

Mew's eyes perked up a bit as he murmurs "W-Wife?" which leads to him remembering a certain, totally minor problem that he voices against his better judgement.

"H-How old did you say you were...?"

"Two-thousand and forty-five years old." Auris says with a straight face.

"T-Two thousand..." Mew double-takes then rubs the back of his head and chuckles, "You...don't look a day over twenty-five!"

"That IS roughly when I stopped aging, mmhmm..." She says with a tender, amused smile.

After the shock subsides Mew lays his hand back on his leg and slumps back into the couch's leathery frame. Once he sips his drink he ponders aloud, "This is the first I'm hearing about this. You know the whole...'Elemental Overlord had a wife' thing, not your age."

"Its not exactly common knowledge that the original Overlord was betrothed," Auris raises both her hands, fingers spread out, and turns them around to show both sides, "The lack of a wedding ring probably didn't help you piece that together either."

"You've definitely surprised me..." Mew's lips wobble as he squeezes his eyes shut and blushes, "I-In more ways than one."

Auris gets another laugh out of his reactions, most certainly, but when Mew gets back on track with the conversation she's silent and all ears.

"...Now that that's out of the way, how about you give the 4-1-1 on what's up with this place?" Mew's stern but lackadaisical means of asking got Auris answering right away.

"Take your pick. What do you want to know?"

Mew shrugs and remarks, "Might as well tell me what an Aurian is."

Auris looks at him and lays her hands atop her legs, "You know all about the elements right?"

"I'd be a crappy Elemental Overlord if I didn't," Mew then puts his glass down and starts raising a finger per element he lists, "Nature, Water, Wind, Electricity, Earth, Ice, Fire, Light and Dark. Those are the nine elements."

Auris then raises on her hand the last finger Mew did not and says, "But the truth of the matter is that there are ten elements. Aura, which represents the element of Life, is the tenth."

Mew looks at his hands, pops the last finger up, then curls his hands into fists. He gives a brief nod to Auris and says, "Aura, got it."

But then after giving it a second thought he swings a hand up and shouts, "No wait a minute!"

Auris looks barely surprised as Mew holds his hands up by his head and says "Nature, Water, Wind, Electricity, Earth, Ice, Fire, Light, Dark and Aura" at twice the speed he did before.

He then brandishes one finger out and says, "An Elemental Overlord can't be missing an element! I might as well be called the Fraud Overlord now!"

"Oh don't you worry your pretty little head over it," Auris said with a hand propped under her chin as she chuckles, "The original Overlord never learned how to control Darkness or Aura. In fact, that would make you more of a master of the elements than him."

Mew blinks then slowly leans his arms back against his chest, staring up at the ceiling with one eye wider than the other as he remarks, "So what you're saying is...I should be called the Super Elemental Overlord."

"Or the King of Hot Air." Auris briefly chides him with a smile.

Mew rubs the back of his head and chuckles. Meanwhile, Auris places her hands together and remarks with a serenade-like voice befitting a storyteller, "Long ago in the time of the original Elemental Overlord there was one tribe for each of the ten elements. Sancturia, the representative for Aura, was one of those ten tribes."

"And the other nine tribes were scattered across the Earth." Mew deduced

"No," Auris quickly put-down, "The ten tribes existed on a world separate from this one."

Mew kept his mouth shut cause he guessed that Auris knew what he was going to ask, which she deliberately took the time to acknowledge when she spoke up again.

"And yes, that does mean this entire city was moved from one planet to another. Through magic or science, you may ask? Either answer suffices really. Its not as though the humans at the time were advanced enough to notice."

"Well there's gotta be some kinda mumbo-jumbo going on here," Mew remarks as he twirls a finger around and around over his head, "Satellites buzz around over the planet daily, eventually someone would've had to notice an invisible city hanging out over the North Pole."

"And it is to the barrier designer's credit that we have avoided any contact for two-thousand years." Auris says with too much confidence for it to be a lie.

"But its not just humanity we're trying to remain hidden from. Our city holds plenty of secrets. Dangerous, powerful secrets that could upset the natural order of things if there were to be stolen."

Mew leans forward a bit and bridges his hands under his chin as he remarks, "And someone's after one of those secrets, which is why you called for my aid."

Auris' smile pushed up her cheeks as she properly praised the boy's deduction, "How astute."

She then lifts her head up a little to look Mew in the eyes, "But its not someone from the outside who is after it, but one of our own."

"A traitor eh?" Mew's lips subtly shifted into a scowl of intrigue.

"A traitor? That is one way to put it, but..." Mew noticed Auris held herself back from finishing her sentence, as she quickly shifted topics, "It may come as a surprise to you, but my title as 'Sage' exists in name only. I am not the sovereign power here."

"You're not?" Mew's reply came off as a surprise initially but when he stops to think about it the facts lined up, _"Now that she mentions it, this house looks like all the rest on the outside. Wouldn't she be living in a palace if she was the big-shot around here?"_

"Then who is?" He asked.

"His name...is Gravitus." She says. Her eyebrows begin to slant, and she cups her hands near her mouth as the pleasantness of their conversation now seemed like an afterthought.

"At least, that's what he calls himself nowadays. He used to go by the name Damascus, and was a servant of my late father's whom acted as the guardian of one of Sancturia's most regal treasures...The Neo Drive."

"Neo Drive?" Mew found the name empowering, and suitably dangerous sounding.

"After my father's passing and Sancturia's migration from our world to this one, Damascus saw his opportunity to strike and overthrew me as leader of the Aurians."

Auris' hands tighten up as they remain clenched together, with her voice becoming firmer as well, "Ever since he's ruled over Sancturia with an iron fist."

"...Everyone seems pretty mellow considering they're living under a tyrannical rule." Mew is quick to point out, being light on his usual joking mannerisms.

"Make no mistake the threat of his iron-clad rule remains omnipresent. But...I will leave it to you to decipher all that on your own." Auris says, leaving Mew more than a little unsatisfied with the answer.

He slumps his head a bit and budges his gaze forward as he asks, "Where does this Neo Drive factor into all this?"

Auris lean backs a little and explains, "Gravitus' thirst for power has not been quenched. Not satisfied with dominion over his people, he seeks to expand the purview of his reign across the entire universe."

"And he needs the Neo Drive to do so."

"Exactly," Auris says, her voice a smidge worried, "That has been his endgame for the last two-thousand years, and I fear he is close to achieving it."

Mew closes his eyes, leans up against the couch and lays his arms up on the back of it, then nods a little before responding, "A power-hungry tyrant, a maiden in distress, and the brave, strapping young hero who can help save the day..."

Mew sits upright with a big ol' grin and declares, "Sounds like a good setup to me! Don'tcha fret over it Auris. I'll be your knight in shining armor!"

"Hahaha," Auris dryly laughs, arousing embarrassment from Mew's face by the time she proclaims, "Do I _look _like I require a knight upon a fiery steed?"

"W-Well you DID call me in to help..."

"I asked for someone strong, someone brave, someone capable..." Auris snickered then creased her lips into a tiny smile, "When did I ever say you were helping **me **in particular?"

"H-Huh?" Mew spun his eyes a bit and stuck the tip of his tongue out as he loudly hummed, deep in thought. He then squints at Auris and wonders, "There's...something you're not telling me, isn't there?"

"Correct again," She says with a honeyed smile, before proceeding to lay her hands on her legs and says in a blunt, dismayed tone, "So you met my daughter already."

"Ms. Green and Grouchy?" Mew briefly thinks back to the girl's sour first impression of him and nervously chuckles, "Y-Yeah, guess we did..."

"The poor dear's at that confused, rebellious age...And she has a big beef with Gravitus in particular."

"...Uh-oh." Mew could easily sense where this conversation was heading.

"It won't be long now before she sees fit to take matters into her own hands and confront Gravitus on her own," Auris then puffs her chest out a bit and oversells it a bit on her dismay, "Strong as I may be, I am no match for that girl's adolescence infused stubbornness."

"_Auris' daughter looks like a fighter..." _Mew imagines in his head a giant shadowy interpretation of Gravitus looming over that bloody and battered girl, _"But it sounds like she's not ready for a monster like Gravitus."_

"I'll have kicked Gravitus' ass before it becomes an issue, but why do you sound so sure that she's gonna rebel _soon_?"

Auris leans forward a bit and smiles as she whispers, "Because I have already seen it happen in the future."

"I see..." Mew bobs his head a few times...Then it all comes crashing down on him like an avalanche.

He widens his eyes and stammers, "I-I'm sorry...you what?"

Auris keeps her voice to a subdued whisper as fans her fingers before her face and forces Mew to gaze into her bewitching eyes, "I am clairvoyant. You mean to tell me you never once thought about how odd it was that I knew your name from the get-go?"

"Hahah well you see, funny story..." No amount of bravado Mew could muster would hide that he was caught with his pants down. Maybe if he hadn't been busy thinking naughty thoughts this whole time he would've caught on. Between knowing his name, knowing when to contact him in the city, and _especially_ knowing when her daughter would be home to achieve maximum levels of humiliation on his end...It was all staring him right in the face but his vision was obscured by breasts and thighs.

Instead of lingering on the negatives, Mew thought on the bright side of things, "Well hey, that's great! Now you can tell me how to beat Gravitus!"

"No." She playfully rescinds.

"No?" Mew says with only mild confusion.

Auris withdraws her hand from her face and holds it out towards Mew, "Think of each of my fingers as a decision you could make. One leads to joy, another leads to heartache, another leads to laughter, another leads to sorrow. The last one leads to the perfect outcome for you. Knowing where your decisions lead, which one would you choose?"

Mew stares at her hand for but a moment before deciding, "Obviously the perfect outcome."

"Of course," Auris nods then curls all but her pointer finger inward, "You travel down this perfect path, only to encounter another fork in the road."

She unfurls her pinky and says, "But now you have only two decisions ahead of you. Trust your instincts, or continue to rely on knowledge of the future to get your perfect outcome. So, where do you go from here?"

"..." Mew was less certain this time, as the woman's voice was laced with a manipulative pull towards the same answer as before.

"...The perfect outcome?" Curiosity made him decide this answer. But when Auris curled in her pinky this time, it never unfurled.

"Then you keep walking down a road of perfection. Nothing bad ever happens, everything goes just the way you want it to..." Then her last finger slowly starts to curl into her palm, "But...Could the mistakes you would've made been to your benefit? You stubbed your knee once, so now you know not to stub it again."

Once her fingers are curled into a fist she closes her eyes and says, "Rely on foreknowledge and there'll eventually come a time where that knowledge will betray you, and then you'll be ill-equipped to face the challenges ahead."

She gently opens her eyes with a knowing smile as she proposes to Mew, "And you of all people could never accept that, could you?"

Mew bites his teeth down behind the obscurity of his lips then shrugs his hands up by his shoulders and acts all cool about it, "Yeah I guess it'd be pretty boring to have the answers handed to you on a silver platter."

He then glides his hands right on behind his head and gives Auris a one-eyed wink, "Me personally? I like to take things one day at a time and go with the flow of the blows, y'know what I mean?"

Auris nods then lays her hand back on her lap and remarks, "If its any consolation, none of my answers would've been that helpful to begin with."

Mew then leans forward a bit and leaves his hands lagging by his waist, "Still you DID call me in now so the odds must've been looking grim right?"

"Without your intervention there was less than a 1% chance of stopping Gravitus." Auris started off with.

"And now that I'm here? What're the odds now?"

"...5%." Auris says with a perfectly dauntless face.

Mew shivers a bit then cracks a beefy grin and stutters "T-Twenty percent huh...?"

He squeezes his hands together into one big fist and then rowdily declares to Auris, "I like the sounds of those odds! This is getting exciting!"

"Then its all settled?" Auris ponders quietly.

"Yeah," Mew firmly nods his head, "Like I already said. I'll have Gravitus' ass kicked by the end of the week!"

"That's wonderful..." Auris' face lights up with a playful smile, "Because you know, he won't actually be back here for a whole week."

"Wait, seriously?" Mew tilted his head and looked disappointed.

"Consider this an opportunity to get used to Sancturia, its people, and our culture as well," Auris decrees, "I shall give you whatever advice or answers your require, but for the most part I'd prefer it if you figure things out on your own."

"Fine by me!" Mew says with no weight on his back, then nervously grins as he asks, "Just...tell me there's no more crappy Chinese knock-offs around here."

Auris smile could've meant "Yes" or "No" and it wouldn't have mattered from Mew's point of view. What she offered more concretely though was a nudge in the right direction.

"For now I'd suggest checking out the Pyramid of the Neo Drive. Its in the very center of town just northwest from here."

Mew nods, stands up and goes "Sounds like a plan to me!" before heading straight for the door.

"Later!" He waves back to Auris on his way out, unaware that the daughter's head was peeking down around the corner of the staircase.

"...Grrr..." The daughter growls as her fingernails dig into the wooden post on the railing and gently scratch the finish.

She pulls herself up from her uncomfortable laying position on the stairs and presses her back up against the wall. With a fist squeezed until its red against her chest she grumbles quietly to herself, "That pervert? The Elemental Overlord? Is this some kind of a joke?!"

She reflects upon his dumb face when she caught him in the act of perversion, but her recollection of events is a lot more...extravagant. Mew's grin has big donkey teeth and his eyes were staring off in different directions.

She clamps her teeth down into a bitter scowl then shakes her head hard from left to right. She then takes a couple steps down the stairs, pokes her head around the corner, and sees that her mother has gone off to the kitchen.

"Now's my chance...!" She whispers as she whisks herself off towards the door. She's out of there before Auris can see her. But little does she know her mother was smiling the whole time she left.

Back with Mew he's followed Auris' direction to the letter and made his way to the center of Sancturia. This time around he rears his head back and whistles "Woo-hoo!" with plenty of enthusiasm.

He was staring into the face of a twenty-story pyramid perfectly preserved from the mold of time. The crystalline gleam he expected from the temple was now all over the place here. Every two floors of the pyramid was lined to the brim with different colored jewels. First floor had rubies and sapphires, third floor had amethysts, fifth floor emeralds, and so forth and so forth. It was an honest god treat to behold after how familiar and unremarkable the rest of Sancturia's buildings were.

"So this is where the Neo Drive's housed eh?" Mew tucks his hands in his pockets and looked down to find a small square tunnel surrounded by teal bricks acting as the entrance. His curiosity was piqued and ready to go investigate.

Then he smirked and coyly remarked, "If you want to stalk someone, maybe don't stomp the ground like an elephant?"

Mew looks right over his shoulder as someone smashes their right foot into the ground with the sound of a hammer coming down. The daughter of Auris is behind him glaring with the same ferocity as before, but now her eyes were widened to the point that it was a miracle her eyeballs weren't rolling out of her socket.

She puffed her chest up by taking in a very deep breath, then bellowed an intimidating roar towards Mew, "You're not going anywhere you...you punk!"

Mew closes his eyes and sighs to himself "I reeeeally should've seen this coming" then turns around and gently wags his right hand out of his pocket to ask, "Look if this is about what you saw I'm telling you-"

"Shut up!" She shouted, her voice beginning to draw a crowd of onlookers around the front of the pyramid. She cocked her right pointer finger straight towards his face like a gun and declared, "You don't belong here! So I'm gonna send you packing in a bodybag!"

Mew takes his hand to the back of his head while its out and remarks to himself, "God I suck at first impressions, don't I?"

_Next Time: Learning from Battle_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: An Aurian's Arsenal**

Mew was caught between a pyramid and Auris' pissed off daughter. _"Not something you get to say every day..." _He joked to himself as he looked around and saw a large audience gathering near them. There must have been more than a hundred of them that formed a perimeter behind the girl.

With a sure smile Mew wagged his hand out to the girl and asked "Fans of yours?" politely.

The girl's eyes shifted a tiny bit only to lock back onto Mew firmer than before. Mew slacks his jaw to sigh. Then he cracks a canned laugh as he says "Come on, I'm trying to strike up a conversation here. Don't leave me hanging."

"Hmph!" The girl murmured with her nostrils flared, "The only thing hanging is your tongue you slobbering pig!"

"Ah come on," Mew's eyes bulged as he forced himself to smile, "I'm telling you, its not what it-"

"Do you think I care, Pervert Overlord?!" The girl proclaimed with eyes flared up worse than her nostrils and her fist squeezing until the knuckles crack.

Mew blinks once then rubs his chin and stares skyward with a hearty chuckle, "Is Pervert a better or worse label than Fraud?"

He shrugs it off then flicks one thumb over shoulder and keeps his attitude chipper as he says, "As much as I'd love to stay and chat princess, I gotta go play Pyramid Raider."

The moment Mew starts to turn, the girl began huffing in exasperation. She stomped her foot forward, swings her fists by her hips, and declared, "W-Where do you think you're going?!"

Mew looked over his shoulder and said cheekily "Playing Pyramid Raider!" then turns to walk backwards, as he remarked, "Oh! You probably never played a game called Tomb Raider. See its like this-"

The girl drew her hand back, opened it up, and before Mew could blinked she's called a bo-staff into her hand. She stamped the golden orb at the end down like a gavel, successfully bringing Mew to a stop.

Mew blinked a little faster and looked at her weapon of choice. The staff was as tall as her, and has a red finish with a bunch of golden animals painted onto it. It looks like a solid piece of work but she wasn't holding it with any sense of pride. But a weapon ain't called a weapon unless its used for one purpose...

"Oh I get it now..." Mew gave a deep hearty chuckle. His eyes slanted, and his mouth turned up with a grin, "You're looking for a fight."

Mew almost had one foot through the door but quickly hopped back to where he started this confrontation. His landing kicked up a little wind towards the girl for some of that needed dramatic flair.

"You heard who I am, and still want a fight?" Mew asked firmly, his hands in his pockets. The girl stood her ground, but her lips looked decently unnerved.

"Alright, what the heck?" Mew shrugged, "I accept your challenge!"

The girl's whole face rose with an unmistakable air of smugness to it. She closed her eyes and fluttered her hand at him, as if trying to shoo away an annoying pest. "Quit bluffing!" She shot back at him. "There's no way a guy like you would seriously fight a girl."

But then her smugness breaks to the mere sound of Mew stretching and cracking his knuckles before his face. He bent down and flexed his knees one leg at a time, as he said cheerfully, "Haven't worked up a sweat in a while. This is exciting!"

The girl flutters her eyes then starts hearing the audience giggling. She gets a little upset over it and unfortunately, Mew's the sole target of said rage.

"You're seriously going to fight a girl?!" She says with her pointer finger lashed out like a flail.

As Mew moves onto pivoting his shoulders he nonchalantly remarks, "Of course! You're a warrior, so I'll treat you like one. Our hearts speaking louder than our genders on the battlefield, y'know?"

"Ugh...whatever!" The girl bit her tongue and squeezed her left fist and eyes shut together. Then she held her staff in both hands, brandishing it forward.

Mew then spins his arms around in circles and asks, "Soooo what's your name anyways?"

The girl held her ground and growled, prompting Mew to whistle "Ooookay then" before smiling and laying a hand on his chest, "My name is-"

"I. Don't. CARE." She makes herself clear. She then takes in a deep breath and declares, "My name's Kairi Aurora! Remember it as you crawl out of Sancturia utterly humiliated."

"Kairi? That's a cute name ya got there princess." Mew's careless sincerity turned Kairi's face red as she struggled to gasp out even the tiniest of swear words.

Mew closes his eyes and chuckles, "If only your mother knew you'd turn out like-"

The air pushes towards Mew's face, guided by blunt force. He widens his eyes open and ducks under Kairi's beheading attempt in a second. He takes a moment to glance up and see how furious her eyes look then ponders in amusement, "Oh we're starting now?"

Kairi's eyes widen and she swings her staff back down for round two. Mew floats back with a leap and lands standing upright and smiling. He dances around a little on his tip-toes and remarks, "It was a good try and all but I totally saw it coming!"

Kairi staggers over a little from the weight of her swing but quickly squeezes her staff and charges forth. With the weapon thrust forth she yells, "See this!"

Mew swings his head left out of the way then right when the staff's thrust again. He barely looks like he's moving dodging Kairi's fevered thrusts. His eyes look onto the finer details of the weapon, such as the worn-in scuff marks, and pique his interest.

"Did you make this yourself?" He tries to strike up a conversation as the staff plagues him no worse than a breeze. With perked eyes he compliments, "It looks pretty good! Shame you're treating it like a bat."

Kairi growls some more then with a boisterous roar thrusts her staff straight for Mew's face. He catches it on his right thumb millimeters from the tip of his nose and leaves it trembling in Kairi's grasp.

He then closes his eyes and chuckles, "What'd my face do to deserve being a pinata?"

Kairi pulls back, spins around, and draws out a rebuttal of "It was BORN!" as she goes to smash Mew overhead.

He slides back a few inches and whistles as the staff smashes the ground. _"That might've hurt a little..." _He keeps in his head as he looks up and sees Kairi already huffing and puffing for air.

Mew pinches his fingers together before his chest and raises and lowers them in tune with his breathing.

"Breathe in...breathe out..."

Kairi swings her head up and yells "Do you EVER shut up?!"

Mew smirks during his rather cheeky answer of, "Only once I die princess."

She stands up and her growling starts to sound like an engine revving. Mew then wags a hand around while tilting his head, "Y'know I was kinda hoping for little more...pizzazz?"

He raises a brow and remarks, "You're an Aurian yeah? Why not show me a little more of that aura stuff?"

He then stands fully upright and tucks his hands in his pockets. Still as a statue he says, "Hit me with your best shot. I won't budge, promise!"

"Asshole..." Kairi mumbled, feeling like she was being made fun of. She holds her staff adjacent to her hip and with one reaffirming squeeze something begins to form around the staff. A solid layer of green energy looking clear like glass and firm as steel enveloped the staff an inch thick.

The energy seemed to come from nowhere. "Like magic..." Mew whispered with a grin.

After taking a stand Kairi rushed him and lowered her empowered staff level with her knees. Mew's eyes slowly enlarged as he murmured "W-Wait a second" only to be too late to react.

Kairi rammed the tip of her staff into the man's forbidden zone between his legs, eliciting a teeth-gritting his from Mew. She then swings her staff up and smashes it over his head, shattering the energy around it.

The whole audience goes "Ooooh..." with one or two of them saying "Yep, its over."

Kairi steps back, nudges her head up with a grin and "Hmph!" and smugly asks Mew "How's that?"

Mew rises up slowly and rubs the back of his head. His smile is adamantly optimistic as he remarks firmly, "Not bad! So that's the power of aura eh?"

"_Ow ow ow! First I'm cock teased then I'm almost ball busted! ...Why did I even get up this morning?"_

After a sigh that better reflected his troubled thoughts he lowers his hands to his hips. He gives his hands a couple squeezes then cheerfully remarks, "Now its my turn."

"Huh?" Kairi's confusion would be answered by Mew swiftly throwing a jab into her gut.

She's pushed back a few inches where she puts up a meek defense against Mew's second jab using her staff.

Mew holds his knuckles against her staff and remarks, "Come on, I wanna see what else aura can do!"

To help motivate Kairi he turns up the heat by punching with slightly more force. Each punch barely put a smudge of red on his knuckles but kept pushing Kairi back. She held her staff upright and wiggled it around as her defense.

After a punch square in the center of the staff Mew raises his brows and looks at Kairi's face. Her eyes are trembling with a volatile cocktail of anger and panic, an expression unbecoming of the marks of battle she wore.

Mew's observation basically opened the door for Kairi to take a swing at him with all her might. But he slides out of the way and then flicks his right hand down to set it on fire.

This gives Kairi pause as Mew swipes the air to fling a fireball at her head. It misses completely, so Kairi sticks her tongue out at him. Mew kicks her in the gut with a light thrust while flicking another fireball in the middle of his leg's retreat.

The fireball he missed with floats in the path Kairi's kicked towards. It explodes lightly and knocks her right into the other fireball, which explodes a little bigger and throws her onto her back.

The smoke on her body burns faintly, but she doesn't look up to getting up. Mew claps his hands to dust off the soot and lifts his head a bit to see Kairi's expression. She's scowling, as usual, which meant it was no surprise when she punched the ground and rushed to her feet.

Mew chuckled and said with no offense meant, "Yo you holding back on me? Cause you seemed pr-etty confident you'd send me packing!"

The crowd starts murmuring and gossiping. Kairi's eyes and ears were all on them in seconds. Her scowl began to melt until she looked back at Mew, raised her bracelet to her face, and yelled "I've had enough of your...your crap!"

She slammed her other hand down on a small stone on the bracelet engraved with something unknown. On her body nothing appeared to change, but the energy Mew saw before now rose around her frame like a wave of heat.

She then took her staff and lasted it at the ground. It split into different sections connected by an energy rope, effectively making it a whip. Mew holds his hands together and with a grin narrows his gaze to take notes.

"_Her power increased after she touched that stone. Ho ho ho, now this is more like it!"_

He advances one foot at a time and waves his hands towards him while prodding Kairi along, "Show me a good time princess!"

Kairi smacks the whip at Mew's feet to draw the boundary between them. She then holds her left hand up. With some mild concentration she summons a lion made of aura. Its spectacular in its accuracy. From its size to its fuzzy mane, to its pupils ripe with primal fury. Even with a unified color palette, the king of beasts stood tall.

"Two on one..." Mew quietly giggles his excitement free.

"Got get 'em Killmane!" Kairi yells. The lion's pupils thin out and it lunges straight for Mew.

Mew hops to the right and dances on his toes until he has to leap left instead. He keeps his eyes on the lion and claps at it playfully.

"C'mere kitty-kitty!" He says with a higher pitch. After another flighty dodge he holds his arms out in a circle to make a ring of fire for the lion to jump through.

The lion holds its head close to the ground and readies another pounce. Mew exchanges growls with it, their respective fangs grinning from cheek-to-cheek. When Mew starts to retreat the lion sees its chance to strike at last.

Mew lifts and taps down the toes of his shoes while wiggling his shoulder. A fist of solid bedrock rockets out of the ground and smashes into the lion's chin.

As it gets blown back Mew kicks up his feet and runs. He lightly snaps his fingers and leaps at the king of beasts without fear. With arms and legs both wrapped around the lion's stomach he holds back its limbs. The two of them barrel towards a large spotted mushroom that popped out of the ground from Mew's snap.

They land more towards the front than the back and after some bit of pressure they spring back and high into the air. Mew guides the lion upside-down and starts spinning them both around and around.

The lion's head is pile-drived into the ground first, kicking up a plume of dirt towards Kairi. Mew pushes off no worse for the wear and after some flips for flair he lands with legs down and arms up like a gymnast, the lion collapsing flat in defeat.

Quietly growling Kairi snaps her whip to dispel the lion. She then holds her hand out to summon a second ferocious feline – a tiger.

Its snarl is less rumbly but just as angry, the resonation of Kairi's soul. Mew snickers a little and remarks, "Send all the kitties ya want, it ain't gonna give me paw-se for concern."

The veins in Kairi's forehead throb as she stretches her whip out. She leans back and then whips her tiger not once but twice. With each whip the tiger's size grows until its roughly as big as a full-grown hippo. Its growls now shook the air, making the prince take its place on the throne as the true king of beasts.

Mew was too busy feeling...something from watching Kairi whip the tiger. His face reddened a little and he had to blink himself back into reality before he actually noticing the huge tiger staring him down.

"_I sure am learning a lot about myself today..." _Mew laughed dryly to himself and then went "Hoo boy!" as he had to make an emergency dive away from the clawing tiger.

"Get em Slaughtiger!" Kairi urges the tiger on with the raise and shake of her fist.

Mew once again hops around but does so at a more frequent pace due to the tiger's meaty claws covering a lot of ground. Mew tucks his hands into his pockets and chuckles hastily, "Killmane? Slaughtiger? You didn't strike me as a 'name your toys' kind of gal!"

Mew lands atop one of the tiger's claws on one foot and balances back with a cautious lean. When the tiger narrows its eyes and exudes pure, aggressive energy Mew says, "Oh do you want to play too?"

The tiger drops its paw to put Mew in biting range only for him to hop back twice and swing his right hand up out of pocket. He pinches his thumb and pointer then flick them down to create a red cloth with gold embroidery on top.

"Ole!" Mew declares. Kairi's jaw drops and she murmurs, "Is this some kind of joke?"

Alas, the tiger fell for this culturally inaccurate display of Mew's and lunged right for the cloth. Mew's grin shifted upward as he pulled the cloth up and revealed a large orb of water that the tiger ran right through.

Once the feline had been drenched with little reaction from it, Mew flicks the cloth back down and wiggles it around enticingly. The tiger slowly turns and circles Mew clockwise with its lips purring ferociously.

The tiger eventually made its move with another straightforward, predictable lunge. Mew kind of rolled his eyes with a canned laughed as he pulled the cloth up and revealed a mine pulsing with electricity.

"What?!" Kairi is taken aback and loses a bit of color in her skin watching the tiger ram into the mine and get electrocuted all over. Even the audience has to cover their eyes from how flashy the display gets.

Mew just burns the cloth and whistles until the tiger's one-hundred percent roasted. Smoked black instead of minty green is a rather undignified look for the prince who would be king, but Kairi snapped the tiger away to avoid any further humiliation for it.

Mew took a second to tap into his strange sense of curiosity by sniffing the cinders left by the tiger. He crosses his arms and murmurs to himself, "Huh, burnt aura smells a lot like flowers..."

He then looks up and sees Kairi glaring at him with a completely lifeless look in her eyes. He wags a hand off from his arms and asks, "Do you got any other animals to show off ooor can I go on the attack again?"

The audience is all in a tizzle. Some are laughing, some are chatting. Mew looks them audience and isn't exactly getting positive vibes from all their words.

"Look at her..."

"What did she expect?

"Idiot. Dumbass."

"Hrrmmm..." Mew turns his smile into a little frown then is interrupted by a sudden growl of steaming fury from Kairi's end. She cranks her anger dial up to an explosive twelve and screams "That's it! I've HAD IT!"

She throws her left hand up and constructs one of the largest of all ursines, the grizzly bear, out of pure aura. Not even a second after summoning it Kairi's whipping at the creature's back as it rises on its hind legs.

Mew staggers a little as the bear starts casting a towering shadow over him. The shadow stretches out towards the front of the pyramid and consumes the whole entrance by the time Kairi's had finished whipping it. She staggers over, panting heavily for air behind a now thirty-foot tall standing grizzly bear.

The bear opens its mouth and lets out a blood-curling roar that shifts some of the looser bricks on the pyramid out of place and leaves Mew's hair standing upright for a moment. Mew flutters his eyes, wags a finger at the ursine and murmurs, "This...could pose a problem."

Kairi stands up and exclaims at the top of her lungs, "Ursa Maimer! Crush him until he's dust!"

The bear starts to drop its meaty right claw upon Mew's head as the boy snaps his fingers and chuckles, "Ursa Maimer? That's adorable!"

The bear's claws smashes down full force and a hefty cloud of dust and dirt goes flying in all directions. All of the bear's body save the head is covered up, with its girth providing Kairi's eyes protection. Once the wind dies down Kairi leaves her whip limp towards the ground and starts grinning.

"You got what you deserved, asshole..." She gloats.

"Hey!" Mew's ear-grating voice once more brings Kairi to silence. As the dust settles down too Mew's silhouette can be seen holding something beefy over his back.

Kairi gets a clear view, for the first time, of Mew's own weapon. He wields a broadsword that is five feet long, two feet wide and made of crusty silver. The sword's hilt is shaped like a riveted golden cross that extends to the handle and a little bit up the blade itself.

The sword effortlessly holds the bear's claw at bay, where Mew then coats the blade in permafrost to keep the claw stuck. He glances over his shoulder with his cheeky smile and says in a sing-song manner, "You know how the saying goes..."

He firms his eyes with determination and exclaims, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall!"

He casts a powerful gust of wind at the ursine that sweeps up past his body and howls like the winter storms that tend to plague the arctic. Within seconds the bear freezes up from head-to-toe and Mew swings his blade off its claw. The force of him doing so knocks the blizzard bear statue off its feet and lumbering down towards Kairi.

The girl widens her eyes and lets out a pale "Eep!" right as the bear crashes down upon her and shatters into a bunch of ice cubes. Mew glances over his shoulder again, lets out a sigh, then waits for the frost and stuff to subside.

With Kairi flat on her back and her whip reverted to a staff, Mew walks over and brandishes the tip of his blade at her nose, giving her a brief fright. He shows no hard feelings by smiling and immediately laying the blade over his shoulder.

"Looks like I win, princess." He remarks as the blade fades into fire.

Kairi's fast, heavy breathing goes only through her nostrils. Her mouth is too busy scowling and growling, as has been the two's only interaction so far. With no show of good faith to make up for the trouble, Mew shrugs and starts to turn while waving at Kairi from his side.

"See ya around then!" He tries to keep things on relatively good terms and makes his way back to where he had originally intended to go – the pyramid.

"Haha! Shows what you know!"

"Huh?" Mew hears a voice bellowing out from the forefront of the audience and turns around, finding one of the people poking out and tossing pebbles of aura at Kairi's head.

A couple other people join in, hurtling both insults and rocks at her. They hurt equally, as her body began to tremble and her legs looked to be curling up.

"Arrogant hot-head!"

"Witch!"

"She-devil!"

Mew picked out the worst insults from the crowd and ignored anything that got more obscene then that. What was starting didn't look like it would ever stop. Mew arches his brows down, turns his body around, and starts to squeeze his fists by his hips.

Kairi bites her teeth tongue and closes her eyes, only for the last voice she wanted to hear forcing them back open.

"Hey hey hey, what's going on here?" Mew asks as he stands between the crowd and Kairi and waves his hands around in a casual, friendly manner.

Kairi unfurls herself a bit and stares up at Mew as he focuses entirely on the crowd, who stay their hands for a moment and turn their venomous words upon him instead.

"Dude, this is none of your business. Scram." One teenager bravely proclaimed.

"Yeah! Scram!" A child, who couldn't have been more than seven years old, added.

"_Children too? What the hell..." _Mew's exasperated mental state remained wholly separate from his smiling face.

He closes his eyes, wags his hand around a bit and says with some sarcasm, "So sorry, I thought this was an audience, not a lynch mob."

The audience raises their hands prepared to throw more of their self-made stones. Mew sighs for a good few seconds then says, "Oooookay, maaaaaybe I wasn't getting my point across..."

Before the first stone can be thrown Mew thrusts his eyes wide open with his pupils shrunken. The air starts rippling out across the entire breadth of the audience, freezing them in place and making those closest to Mew clam up and tremble slightly.

"Party's over. _Beat it_." His voice was stone cold serious, and the most persuasive argument he needed to make the lynch happy mob close their hands and turn away. There were some stragglers mumbling in annoyance, but they soon made themselves scarce.

Mew let out a "Wheeeew..." then turned around to Kairi and knelt down with a chipper smile. She blinks at him in utter confusion as, after everything that happened, he asks her "Need a hand?"

When her only response is to keep blinking at him Mew just shrugs and goes "Well hey take your time! At least you don't have to worry about falling boulders, hehe..."

He rises up then starts to walk past her without another word. Kairi widens her eyes then bites her lower lip, gives the ground a quick punch, then is suddenly on her feet and running to get in Mew's way.

"H-Hold it!" She exclaims with her arms swung out. Mew takes pause and flicks his right hand up beside his head with a mild smile of amusement.

"Ah come on, gimme a break princess. I got things to do."

"I'm NOT letting you go!" She declares with her feet firmly planted on the ground. Mew stands still then tries to nudge to the right, where she shifts to block him. He tries going left, she keeps blocking him.

"_Sheesh, how's she still standing?" _Mew cracks a snicker then leans in a bit and says, "Ok I guess I _haven't _tried this yet..."

He presses his hands together and looks a little younger as he requests in a somewhat squeaky voice, "Pleeeeease let me pass?"

Kairi keeps staring straight at him. Her lips are puckered and her eyes a little red, insinuating to Mew that she might've been crying a moment ago. After a bit more of this riveting silence Mew reels back a bit and says, "Look, your mom asked me personally to go check out this Pyramid."

"Because of Gravitus?" Was the first non-aggressive thing Kairi had said to her the whole half an hour Mew's known her.

Mew nods and Kairi bits her teeth down, looks Mew in the eyes and yells at him, "That's none of your business! You're just an outsider!"

"Yeah but I'm not just some cream-of-the-crop human," Mew boasts a little bit, "I'm the Elemental Overlord. I don't got a resume to show for it, but my world-saving credentials are pr-etty tight."

"You are **not** an Elemental Overlord! Its just not possible!" Kairi declares with the most bold declaration of denial Mew has ever witnessed.

"_And I've watched Judge Judy..." _Mew snickers slightly, to Kairi's annoyance.

He then wags his head around and comments, "You're not going to budge unless I walk the other way, are you?"

Kairi presses her lips together and grunts really loud. Mew gets into a staring contest with her and keeps his expression emotionless up until Kairi's efforts to beat him out causes her to puff her cheeks.

Mew then cracks up and turns around to slap his right knee. Kairi gasps out all her hot air and stammers, "W-What's so funny?!"

Mew flicks a hand back in the same direction he looks over his shoulder and says, "You're kind of cute when you're angry princess."

"Ooh!" Kairi whimpers and winds up lowering her arms a bit to curl her hands into fists. The moment she lets her guard down Mew speeds on by her and is now halfway to the entrance. He looks back at her exasperated face and swings a couple fingers out from his forehead.

"Ok, this time its for real! Later!"

Tragically he's gotten the full attention of this bitter little mite, and with a sprint across the glass she winds up blocking his way in the same manner as before. This time she bars up the tunnel into the pyramid to ensure he can't walk around her.

"_Ah come on..." _Mew found his patience being tested. He gave Kairi another look in the eyes and saw things from a somewhat different perspective than before.

She was holding on strongly to a sense of determination that Mew felt mirrored his own. Why she couldn't show this level of resolve during battle was a question for another day but this wasn't something Mew would feel right ignoring.

"Haaaaaaaa..." Mew closes his eyes and waves his hand out a bit in a lackadaisical fashion, "Alright, lets make a compromise."

He opens his eyes to show he's taking her seriously when he says this, "You let me in, and I'll let you tag along."

Kairi still holds out, so Mew points out, "Caaause you know, I can think of about like a hundred different ways to get past you."

Kairi narrows her eyes, slowly lowers one hand, then plants a finger firmly on Mew's chest and tells him off bitterly, "I got my eyes on you. If you try the same funny business you pulled on my mom I'll finish the job on those dried up sacks you call balls!"

Mew lets out a veeeeery long sigh and says, "Will you PLEASE let me-"

"Can it," Kairi crosses her arms under her chest and reluctantly steps away from the tunnel. She doesn't make eye contact with Mew as she pouts and mumbles, "Just get a move on, pervert."

Mew takes the first steps towards the entrance at long last, stopping only to glance at Kairi and tell her, "For future reference, the name's Mew."

Kairi's pout rises up as she taps her fingers on her arms impatiently. Mew enters the tunnel rubbing the back of his head and commenting, "Not much of a people person are ya princess?"

Kairi perks her eyes up, follows after Mew close behind and exclaims, "Stop calling me princess!"

Yep, truly this was the start of a wonderful "friendship"...

_Next Time: Warriors of the Nine Planets_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: The Two Sides of Mercury**

Upon entering the Pyramid at long last, Mew sighed mildly in relief over how well lit the inside was compared to the temple. The lights shined just as bright as it did on the outside, seemingly through magic as Mew could not detect a source of electricity near by - Not from the ionic pillars, nor the glass cut diamond patterned floors, or even the diminutive bricked walls.

_How mysterious, there must be a ton of Aurian secrets contained within these walls. I wouldn't mind diving into those secrets but, _Mew raised his head towards the ceiling and had only one on his mind, _典__he Neo Drive's the only one I need right now._

He then lowered his head and sighed, his enjoyment currently soured by the sixty-nine inch tall girl anchored to his back. Her weight was measured entirely by her bitterness, which if Mew chose to convert into pounds would find weighing close to 1,000 tons.

Trying to stave off that weight, Mew moved forward and commented, "The entrance is a lot smaller than I expected."

He looked ahead and saw that the stairs were a minute walk away at his current brisk pace. But Kairi planned to see to it that the journey took much longer.

"Do you know nothing about Pyramids?" She inquired in a boastful tone. Mew turned with half a smile and found the girl squeezing her crossed arms under her chest.

"Pyramids use a series of interconnected rooms to ward off intruders from the tomb of their dead kings," Kairi's tone turned mocking as she smirked at Mew, "You can't just press a button and call an elevator down to take you to top, idiot."

"Of course not, then anyone could reach the top! Then...why would I need to be here?" Mew responded with a totally straight face.

Kairi swung her head back and huffed, "You have no reason to be here anyways!"

Mew smirked and retaliated with, "I can think of two good reasons."

"My mom's breasts do NOT count." Kairi spat scornfully at his face.

Mew sputtered a little then grit his teeth and moaned "Oh good grief" through them. He then took it upon himself to ask in a humored tone, "Well since you're in such an expositing mood Ms. Encyclopedia Brittanica, maybe you can tell me a little more about this Pyramid?"

Kairi puffed her cheeks up a bit and kept looking a way from him, even as Mew bombarded her with questions.

"Does it have a name? How old is it? How many floors are there? Are there any traps? Monsters?" When Mew was getting zippo for answers he quickly closed his eyes and turned to another subject.

"Weeeell...How about telling me about that stone on your bracelet? I've never seen anything like it before," Mew takes a second to chuckle before noting, "Honestly it kinda reminds me of my powers and how-"

"Hmph!" She loudly pushed between her lips before turning upon Mew and leaning forward. She wagged a finger at him and expressed herself haughtily, "Get real. Your 'powers' don't even begin to compared to an Aurians!"

She raised her brows and almost appeared to take pity on Mew with her smile, "Your 'victory'? A fluke and nothing more!"

She stood back up looking all proud of herself. Mew didn't really care as he chortled and said immediately after, "Are you THAT angry I beat you princess?"

Kairi coughed as her eyes opened then spat out in disbelief "N-No!" before raising her chin and asserting that, "I...just don't think anyone should have to see your ego inflated like a zeppelin over Sancturia!"

That clumsily given "reason" for her attitude was a one-and-done topic for Mew to pursue. So instead he used it to segue into another matter that was bugging him, "Say. Back there, with those onlookers...Why were they giving you grief?"

Mew must have struck a nerve as Kairi reacted with a muted gasp and her skin turned slightly pale. She quickly pouted and with a turn of the head mumbled, "S-Some people are assholes, who cares?!"

But under her breath Mew could swear she mumbled weakly "I didn't do anything wrong..."

Mew then stared at her until she stared back. She planted her fists on her hips and yelled vigorously, "Well? Enough gawking! Get a move on idiot!"

"You started it..." Mew mumbled whilst turning back around.

"Excuse me?" Kairi said with her voice flared up.

Mew gave up a dainty shrug and not a word more as he made his way to the stairs. His investigation of the Pyramid brought him to the second floor, where something a little more interesting awaited him.

The aesthetics of the room shifted to detail a certain duality. Split perfectly down the middle by an invisible dividing line, both sides of the room represented a different temperature climate.

The left side was covered in a sleet sheet of ice, with a thin chilly fog projecting off it. The right side showed an arid sea of light beige, cracked rock, where the air waved with projections of heat. And at the end of this room was a swirling vortex of otherworldly design – also known as a portal.

Kairi, who lagged behind him, was the right to offer her opinions on this sector, "Wha...what's all of this doing here?"

"You don't know?" Mew joked as he looked back. Kairi's face turned pink and she said, "O-Of course I do! Its..."

Silence arose from her demeanor. Mew had another chuckle at how cute her attitude was then looked back at the portal with a grin. As sure as he was that the sky is blue he remarked, "I should've known Gravitus would have his body guards lined up to block the way forward."

"Body guards?" Kairi turned to Mew right as he started advancing upon the portal.

"That's obviously a trap!" She exclaimed to no avail. So she threw her fists down and raised her voice, "Hey! HEY!"

"Listen!" Mew chirped in a painfully forced high-pitched tone the second before he stepped into the portal. As he was sucked away to god knows where Kairi was left flabbergasted.

"How can anyone be so...so stupid?!" She yelled before dashing for the portal not a second later.

The warp between locations lasted even shorter, bringing the two to a flat, roasted dark-brown surface of rock. Kairi bumped into Mew as he just stood there outside the portal and fell back onto her butt.

Mew turned around and looked mildly shocked as he remarked, "Oh hey, you followed me!"

She stood right back up and yelled, "Were you dropped on your head as a kid?! Who walks into such an obvious trap?!"

"The same kinda person who follows someone into said obvious trap?" Mew says with mild sarcasm.

Kairi flutters her eyelashes then clutches her arms under her chest and looks mildly shaken as she states, "W-Where are we anyways?"

Mew looks at the sky and sees that its pitch black up there with maybe a few stars hovering about. He then closes his eyes and feels something beaming down on this barren rock. Something very, very, _very_ hot.

Mew smiles as he remarks in a nonchalant tone, "Don't freak out princess, but I thiiiink we've been transported to Mercury."

"M-Mercury?" Kairi's eyes bulged and she looked ready to faint, "The planet?!"

"Yep!" Mew said with his hands behind his head and a big grin.

Kairi looked around and exclaimed, "That's crazy! You're crazy! Cause last I checked...You can't breathe in space!"

"_She's seen what I can do and this is so hard to believe?" _Mew wanted to chuckle but upon further reflection he realized, _"Then again, she's got a point."_

He looks around and noticed nothing at work that would explain this phenomenon. Somehow, there just was breathable oxygen on this desolate planet scorned the most by the Sun's wrath.

Before he could give it anymore though he heard someone or something walking towards them. He grinned and felt his heartbeat quicken with anticipation as he noted, "And here comes the first challenger."

Kairi stopped freaking out long enough to join Mew in determining the identity of their company. Surely they were a foe, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't be friendly.

Mew kept himself passive in demeanor and tucked his hands into his pockets in hopes that he'd hand out a warm welcome to whoever was coming.

"Ah geez, are those guests? Its been a while since I've had decent company..." Mew could hear someone whisper sluggishly from afar. It sounded like they had just woken up from a nap, and they were undoubtedly a guy. Maybe an adult, given their voice is somewhat deep.

Finally a figure approached with striking habanero colored skin. He had a droopy face that Mew took upon himself to nickname the "sad camel", and it is flooded with sweat. His red hair is like a shag mop covered in oil with many strands of hair dangling over his eyes, which were also red. His ear lobes also looked like grilled cheese melting off the sides of a toasted sandwich.

With the sad state this guy appeared to be in, Mew is shocked to notice that he is decorated in some sort of military vest with chain mail underneath. The spots on his vest and baggy pants suggested they were used for camouflage. He is also bare footed.

The guy sluggishly dragged his toes along the ground as he walked. Then he stopped ten feet in front of Mew and tried really hard to raise the side of his face and smile.

"Hey...Welcome to Mercury. Not much to do here but I'll try to be a good host while you're visiting..."

Even with as tired as he was the guy was the epitome of politeness, which totally took Kairi by surprise. She threw her arms up and decided she was done trying to make sense of this backwater planet.

The friendly stranger glanced past Mew and wondered, "What's with her?"

Mew gestured a thumb over his shoulder and joked, "Oh she's just having a bad day."

He then extended his right hand out, ignoring Kairi's angered gasp, and smiled, "Name's Mew, nice to you uhh..."

"Oh right, where are my manners..." After gasping at his misplaced manners the guy extended his own hand towards Mew's then paused as his sweat dripped from it. He then pulls it back a bit and the both of them pretend like they're shaking hands.

"My name is Michael..." The guy sighs and looks to the left, "But I'm sorta contractually obligated to tell you that I am also known as Aurian Mercury."

Mew nudges his brows slightly in curiosity then remarks, "Please to meet you Michael. As for Ms. Grumpy Pants back there-"

"WHAT?!" Kairi suddenly yelled, nearly blowing out Mew's eardrums in the process. She walks up to Michael, pushing Mew aside with one hand, then starts glaring at him judgmentally.

Her eyes widen as she gives a scathing review of Michael's character, "Bullshit. There's no way that YOU are one of the Planetary Aurians."

"Well, you got me there..." Michael dryly chuckled.

"Planetary Aurians?" Mew inquired. Kairi turned on him with both fists on her hips and said, "Did you even bother to do any research before you came to dirty our way of life?"

"Oh good grief..." Mew sighed. Given a moment to pout, Kairi became a little more cooperative in explaining herself.

Starting with an "Ugh..." she crossed her arms and said, "The Planetary Aurians are nine legendary heroes of Aurian folklore. Parents tell their children stories about them to give them aspirations to do great things..."

Kairi then spun back and brandished a finger at Michael, "And the only thing Sweaty McSweatpants could inspire is a brand of showers!"

Michael just stood there and took it, prompting Mew to come to his defense, "You can't judge a book by its cover princess."

Before Kairi yelled at Mew, Michael waved his hand around and noted, "Nah she's right...The Planetary Aurians are legends because of their fighting prowess."

He then forced a chuckle and said, "I-I'm humbled they put me in fairy tales, but I'm not the fighting type."

"I don't think Gravitus would hire someone who couldn't fight." Mew remarked with a crafty smile.

Michael's eyes widened as he muttered, "Ah geez..."

Kairi takes a moment to shake her head, no doubt reaffirming that she heard that right. She then started poking Michael in the chest and said, "That's RIGHT. The portal led us to **you**. You're the lap dog that bastard assigned to guard the Pyramid!"

Michael's face stretched as a revelation dawned on him, "Ooooh so the alarm went off because you guys...Right, riiight."

His face then somehow drooped more with his sigh. With Kairi backing off a little Michael laid a hand on the side of his face and murmured, "Ok...I gotta explain a couple things to you guys."

"_Quit br-br-br-boring me here, Mi-Michael!" _Out of the blue a fourth voice joined the conversation, clattering like bits of metal dancing in an earthquake. Mew and Kairi looked around and saw no one approaching in spite of how close it sounded.

"Sorry about this..." Michael swiftly apologized as his body was covered by a flash of light. A second later Mew's heart leaped as a person of similar build and clothes shot out of the light and rammed their face into his.

The grinning snow-blue skinned man had pointed up ears like an elves' and teeth that were made of black frost. His hair stuck up like a series of small icicles, and the surface of his skin looked ready to crack apart from a single touch. He too was decorated in military clothes, but his were pure blue.

With the bludgeoning gaze of madness from his frosted blue eyes this strange man rubbed his cheek against Mew's face and gave a chilling introduction, "R-R-Raphael's the name! Total slaughter's the game!"

"_Pleasant fellow isn't he?" _Mew smirked then waved a hand around and asked, "Sooooo, we talking split personality here or what?"

"Ghh...Don't l-l-link me to that pacifist pussy!" Raphael exclaimed like Mew had done the equivalent of insulting his parents.

A couple moments later Raphael whipped out a four-foot long lance of ice that was half spear and half handle, and one-hundred percent riddled with frostbite. He poked its tip into Mew's gut and laughed, "Now n-n-none of that psychologic big word m-m-mumbo jumbo! I only wanna hear f-fighting words!"

Mew's smile subtly spread across his face as he said "Oh like" then raised his hands to shove Raphael off him as he enticed the man's battle-hungered demeanor, "Bring it on?"

Raphael's grin may as well have been off his face from how big it got as he squealed, "Ex-Ex-Exactly!"

Mew turned a bit sideways and hung his hands a little away from his waist. There his _loving_ audience told him, "You're out of your mind!"

Mew glanced back and saw that Kairi had moved twenty feet away from him and Raphael. She raised her head and snorted, "That's one of the Planetary Aurians! You don't stand a chance!"

Mew face Raphael and saw his fingers twitching for a fight. Mew's own hands trembled with excitement until he closed them into fists. He then slanted his brows and said, "We'll see about that princess. I'll show you that my victory wasn't some fluke!"

"Heehee...!" Raphael giggled, "I'll enjoy adding your sch-sch-skull to the collection!"

"_Again...Sorry about this." _Michael's voice poked out from Raphael's body.

"Forget it man, this fight was gonne happen regardless!" Mew said gleefully.

"And you br-br-br-better pull your weight too or we'll br-br-br-both get it from the boss man!" Raphael exclaimed, staring up at his forehead.

"_...Aw man..." _Michael groaned a long acceptance of defeat.

"Alright Heat Miser and Snow Miser, enough bickering!" Mew said, his remark going completely over both Raphael and Michael's heads, "Lets get started alr-"

Raphael leaped at him like a grasshopper and plunged his strange lance into the center of Mew's arms crossed before his face. Mew chuckled in his head, _"What's with Aurians and surprise attacks?" _

**Vs. The Temperate Twosome: Aurian Mercury!**

Raphael shoved right off and plummeted to the ground. He dashed straight for Mew and thrusts at his hips once on both sides. Mew swayed around the attacks and edged his feet back to put some distance between them.

Raphael then thrusts his lance harder than before, only to be met with the palm of Mew's right hand. Mew grinned as he shoved the lance right back against his foe's hip and closed the distance to clobber him in the face with a punch.

Raphael went tumbling back but sprung right on his feet. He wobbled around purposefully then dragged himself forward, curving his path as he ran back at Mew. He went for a stab at Mew's gut but was successfully fended off by a gentle punch.

But to Mew's surprise the icy warrior followed up by slashing his lance upward and cutting his chin. It was a cut no bigger than what he'd get from a piece of paper but it was more than enough to get Mew's blood pumping.

He played around with Raphael's attacks for a bit, shifting his body to evade his predictable assault. All his strikes went for vital parts and his eyes were that of a killer. Bloodshot, wide open, he never let his prey out of his sight.

After dancing around the lance had run its course Mew ducked under an attempt on his head and then spun his right leg out to trip Raphael up. He then rose and uppercutted him square in the gut, adding a little fire to spice up the attack.

Raphael flipped through the air and landed on his feet, where he let out a mild grumble and then ran at him again. Mew grinned and chuckled "Persistant bugger ain't he?" then leaped back from the warrior's stab attempt on his feet.

Mew flipped upside-down and pressed his hands together. Spreading them apart to weave a web of electricity, he fired a net of it as big as his body down at Raphael. The icy psycho sliced the net in twine and then rocketed off the ground, his body enveloped in a cone of icy wind.

Mew swung his arms up for defense and took on the full force of the attack. Raphael moved fast enough to follow through with a downward slash, making Mew go spiraling down when momentum finally did its job.

Mew's palms dug up some tiny divots when he used them for his landing. He then stopped in place, raised one hand up, and used the other one to spin himself around. When Raphael descended to attack he froze up for a moment, as he would realize the error of his ways in a moment.

Mew's gyrating body kicked up a whirlwind with his extended legs deciding its diameter. He pummeled Raphael with a flurry of kicks for a good few seconds and then broke the whirlwind by vaulting into the air. He repositioned himself upright and then went for an axe-kick on his foe's head.

Raphael recovered fast enough to land and then, not wanting to take the risk, leaped back a good twenty feet as Mew went crashing into the ground. His impact raised a ring of spiked rock ten feet high around his foot.

Kairi slowly went from feeling smug to having her smile droop as she watched how effortlessly Mew seemed to be doing these crazy stunts.

Mew stood up behind the rocks and took a moment to assess himself. He wiggled his arms and legs around and felt a little stiff in the muscles. Peculiarly though, he noticed that these spots were where Raphael had attacked him so far.

Keeping that in the back of his head for now he swung a swift, grazing punch at the foremost rocks and decapitated it off. He sent it flying towards Raphael, who leaped away before it hit his legs.

When the rock crashed down though it broke into microscopic bits which, thanks to the lowered gravity, quickly became a dust cloud that plagued Raphael's body.

The chilled warrior coughed and gagged until his watering eyes caught the sight of a red glow beyond the dirt and dust. It grew bigger and brighter until it revealed its true form as that of a fireball...Three centimeters from Raphael's dwindling, grinning face.

"_**Kaboom!"**_

The fireball went off in a grand display of fireworks twenty feet in circumference. Mew stepped out from behind cover and crossed his arms to enjoy the spectacle.

It wasn't long to last and when it was over Raphael was back on the ground shaking his head like he'd just gotten over a bad cold. He did have a few burn marks though, so it wasn't a huge waste of time.

He grinned from ear-to-ear and cackled loudly to the world, "Ohohoh y-yes! Make me work for the thrill of the kill!"

Mew hung his hands by his pockets, clicked up a couple fingers like guns, then gave his foe a wink and said jokingly, "Hey..._chill_."

Kairi's anguished groan distracted Mew and allowed Raphael to go running in for a sneak attack. Mew swung his head back then etched a square shape in the air with the flick of his right fingers.

Following up with a snap, he watched as Raphael stepped foot on a part of the ground and was then sprung up and away by a makeshift springboard Mew crafted from the ground.

Mew bolted right up to the rock, gave it a spin kick to its back, and sent it hurtling after Raphael. The icy warrior lost his cool and grumbled, "Y-You! Pull your weight, n-now!"

With a flash of light Raphael forced control back over to Michael, who sighed as the rock came seconds away from hitting his face, "Oh gimme a break..."

He then winds his right fist back and threw it forward with the speed and force of a shotgun blast, leaving the rock as nothing but dust in the nonexistent wind.

Mew coughed up a little spit and gave Michael the time needed to crash land on the ground and sprint right for him. Mew braced himself and crossed his arms before his chest as Michael delivered a wallop of a punch into the center of them.

A five-foot wide bubble burst upon impact, and Mew found his heels digging up a two-inch deep divot in the ground. He glanced over his arms with a sly grin and remarked, "What was that about 'I'm no fighter'?"

Michael had the same droopy look on his face as he responded, "Well I wasn't lying..."

But then a more hardened look broke through in his eyes as he continued, "But I know when I'm needed."

He pressed his knuckles in harder and the ground cratered about three-feet around where they stood. Mew chuckled and then raised his arms to try and karate chop Michael's wrist.

With his fleet feet Michael pulled back and extended two fingers from his hands. He then took advantage of Mew's vulnerability to jab him in the elbows and shoulders.

Mew reeled back but then watched as his arms started limping at his sides. He looked at them and tried to give them a quick shake, but they could barely budge. He then looked up at Michael and whistled.

"Going after my pressure points eh?" He remarked.

Michael held his fists at his chest in a defensive stance and remarked, "I'll try and knock you out quickly. I don't want to fight longer than I have to."

Mew just closed his eyes and shook his head. Michael came flying at him with his fingers, but this time Mew was more prepared. He hopped back and then used the sole of his right shoe for defense, as there were no pressure points to exploit down there.

When his tricks proved useless Michael curled his fingers in and resorted to his fists. One swing to the heel of Mew's shoe was enough to make him start hopping back and nearly fall over.

Mew returned the favor to Michael by pushing all his weight forward into a headbutt. Michael stumbled back but recovered much faster than Mew did.

Mew then started panting, and he didn't quite know why. This strange feeling was joined by a curious amount of sweat forming on his skin, like he was running a fever. The Sun couldn't have been responsible, and while Mew was having fun this fight hadn't been that taxing on him thus far. So, there was only one answer.

He stared at Michael and smirked. Michael played coy and didn't say a word edgewise. But unfortunately his frigid counterpart was more than happy to pick up the slack.

"_Q-Quit hogging all the fun already!" _A flash of light signified another exchange of warriors, with Michael only having time to sigh before it finished.

Raphael didn't waste any time charging at Mew and thrusting his lance across his body. With one second intervals to each thrust, he was covering a lot of ground. Mew was slowly regaining strength in his arms and used them to deflect the lance until Raphael was forced to retreat.

There the icy psycho attempted a harrowing thrust straight for Mew's gut. Mew swung his right leg up to block the lance from the side, but Raphael still got through. The tip of the lance breached Mew's shirt and skin and drew a couple drops of blood.

"_That's not right..." _Mew thought as he retracted his leg and jumped a few feet back to give himself some time to think. When he landed he noticed a lot of weight on his body, the sweat he felt earlier being mostly to blame.

"_Its like my reactions were delayed..." _Adding to this conundrum was the return of the stiffness in his limbs. Again, where Raphael had been striking.

"Hmmm..." Mew shifted his eyes up at the mad warrior as he came charging in swinging his lance horizontally at his face.

Mew slid and ducked his head back to evade the strikes, but as he did so time seemed to crawl at a snail's pace as he observed his foe's weapon. As the lance's tip glided before his neck, bits of snow-like energy could be seen coming off it. And in turn, Mew felt the muscles on his chin begin to stiffen.

He grinned and then decided to put a theory into practice. He pushed his body up and immediately grabbed Raphael by his lance's handle. Getting into full contact with his foe's personal space, Mew then proceeded to clobber him straight in the nose.

The ground cracked at Raphael's feet before he was blown back, where his scalp played the role of a shovel digging a trench twenty feet long for the rest of his body to slide down.

Mew pulled his hand back but almost had to double-check that he had done so. His whole arm was totally numb, making even the slightest wiggle of his fingers an excruciating effort to perform. He didn't even notice the dark-purple droplets of blood he drew from Raphael's nose.

"_I get it, this is like what happened with Kairi." _Mew looked down at Raphael and waited for him to get up, even going so far as to pretend to give him a pep talk, "Hey! You can do it! Just believe in yourself!"

Raphael's nostrils were clogged with blood as he stood, leading to him sounding especially nasally as he growled, "Frickas frackas...! Hey! Take over for a m-m-minute!"

He switched right back over to Michael, who after his usual sigh ran right across the trench to deliver a fierce right hook towards Mew's chest. Mew may have be temporarily down an arm but he was far from out.

He used the back and front of his left hand to parry Michael's punches from getting in close while his arm regained its strength. Their clash of hand-to-hand combat appeared as blurs from Kairi's point of view, as her jaw now dropped at the crazy stunts Mew was pulling off.

Mew kept the encounter up-close and personal despite knowing the risks, as there was something he could only confirm from this spot. He kept a careful eye on Michael's hands, which moved like the graceful stroke of a painter's brush but the force of a sniper's shot, and nothing else.

When he attempted to go for his pressure points, Mew just turned parts of his skin to chrome to protect them. It was only when Michael wound his fists back that Mew reacted with more than just a paltry defense. Both his hands were strong enough to grab onto his opponent's fists and keep their grip on them tight.

He raised his arms up and his eyes perked a little as he noticed, _"Huh? There's no bracelet?"_

Michael rapidly kicked his feet into Mew's gut until he was forced to let go, upon which he made a swift retreat and shook his hands off. Mew felt the sweat drenching his body but kept an ever-present smile as he cordially told his foe, "Guess there's some class benefits to being a Planetary Aurian huh?"

Michael closed his eyes a bit and sighed, "Well...A psychopath sharing room and board in your body sure isn't one of them."

Mew snicked and said half-jokingly, "Yeah I totally get where you're coming from."

This made Michael give an honest-to-god smile for the first time, before quickly casting it aside to continue the battle. When he ran at Mew again, Mew tried to react faster than before. He hadn't pieced it all together, but the fact of the matter is that something about Michael and Raphael's auras were throwing him off.

"_So if I'm going to be stuck sweating like a pig in the desert," _Mew grinned while fending off Michael's attacks with his hands, _"Might as well take advantage of it!"_

He flipped back and drew the moisture from his sweat into his arms. He sliced them out and sent crescents of boiling water hurtling towards Michael.

It was a stroke of luck that Raphael took over the battle and stabbed the incoming water with his lance to freeze it over solid. Mew then dove at the ice and gave it a hardy kick to shatter it on top of Raphael's body.

Raphael growled then shifted back to Michael, who spun his arms out and carried the melting ice away in a small tornado of heat. He then coiled up the rest of his body and sprung straight for Mew, tackling him higher into the air.

He was forced to switch right back to Raphael, who raised his lance and prepared to plunge it into Mew's face. Mew clamped his hands around the lance's tip an inch from the space between his eyes and the two went plummeting into the ground.

Mew went 徹of! as his back hit the solid rock but kept conscious long enough to ram both his feet into Raphael's gut. The icy warrior staggered. Mew then rose to his feet and hammered his cupped together hands into Raphael's chin.

Michael returned to battle and used the height gained from Mew's punch to bring his fists down atop Mew's head, forcing him to lurch down. Then Raphael came back out and attempted to stab him in the gut.

Mew hopped away but this time Raphael thrust his lance into the air his way and cackled, 哲ot t-t-this time!

In a move Mew absolutely did not see coming, the upper half of Raphael's lance detached and went underneath the rest of it, revealing four chambers of what was clearly a gatling gun.

_Would it be in bad taste to say he's packing heat? _Was the biggest concern on Mew's mind as Raphael loaded his own aura into the chambers and fired off dozens of bullets in a blitz upon Mew's body.

Mew crossed his arms and tried to get to the ground as fast as he could. But Raphael had his number and kept the bullets firing upon him with impeccable aim. Mew might as well not have had his arms anymore with how numb they were by the time the psycho had finished unloading all his ammunition upon them.

Mew buckled down and wiggled his right leg around at the knee as Raphael returned his lance to normal and came running at him. With a grin behind his numbed up arms, the gears finally clicked in Mew's head.

Yeah, that's the ticket... He then swings his right leg up to kick the tip of Raphael's lance with the heel of his shoe. As he does so he surrounds his body with a thin veil of wind.

He followed up on that by hopping and spinning his other foot square into Raphael's forehead. The icy warrior nearly falls on his back and in frustration has Michael come out to take advantage of Mew's vulnerability.

Michael goes straight for the pressure points in Mew's legs, but before he could blink Mew has bent his leg to successfully plant his foot atop Michael's hand. He presses it down to the ground but takes care not to break a single bone.

Michael blinks a few times, like he was expecting a totally different result. Mew looks down and keeps his secrets behind a tightly sealed grin and a couple nudges of his brows. Michael draws out an 徹ooh and then has his place in the battle hijacked by Raphael once more.

Fr-fr-fr-forget you! I'm shanking this bitch myself! Raphael attempts to take up his lance in his other hand and stab it towards Mew's face.

Mew summons his sword in his right hand and slices right through the handle, sending the spear portion flying right past the side of his head. Once it has impaled itself on the ground behind Mew, Raphael gawks with his mouth wide-open.

Mew then holds his sword above his head in both hands and plays Whack-a-Mole with Raphael's head a few times using the blunt edge of it. After the psycho's been left sufficiently dazed, Mew dispels his sword and leaves Raphael's head bobbing around until with a goofy grin he collapses flat on his back.

Mew then takes his foot off of his hand and steps back, watching as Michael regains control and quickly stands up with his fists swung out. But then after a brief pause he looks a tad embarrassed and remarks, 徹h, you knocked him out.

Mew lays his hands behind the back of his head and remarks without a hint of shame in his voice, 添ep. He's out _cooold_.

Mew's then clobbered on the back of his head by Kairi, who had snuck up when he wasn't paying attention. With her knuckles and face red she grumbles, 鉄eriously, cut it out!

Mew quickly stands back up and turns at her with a smirk and not a care in the world towards the bruise that'd be forming on his scalp.

Ah quit being such a stiff princess. Besides, I beat the Planetary Aurian, just like I said I would!

Kairi could barely glance at the sight of Mew's undying happiness. She kept her eyes closed and turned away with her arms crossed under her chest as she remarked, 典-They weren't that strong! I could've beaten them too!

Mew turns back over to Michael and waves a hand out to say, 典hat was a good fight Michael. You and Raphael make a decent team!

Michael dryly laughs and remarks, 展ell...after a while you kinda just learn to work together, like it or not.

He then tilts his head and inquires, 釘ut how'd you do it? After a certain point you just stopped getting affected by our Drives.

So THAT'S what they're called, Mew said cheerfully, taking a moment to eyeball Kairi over her lack of cooperation before giving Michael the answer he deserves, 添eah I figured out pretty early on that you had to have been doing something with your auras because I was only affected when you got in close.

Mew raised a finger up beside his hung high head and smirked, 徹bviously if it had just been fire and ice you were working with I'd have nothing to fear. But you were utilizing the power of heat and cold, so I had to come up with a way to counter them both.

Mew then snaps his fingers and summons a veil of wind around his body. He mixes a bit of visible fire into the veil and says, 鉄o I surrounded myself in this coat of wind and fire to emulate heat and counter your aura.

With another snap of the fingers he exchanged the fire for ice flakes and said, 鄭nd used wind and ice to emulate cold and counter Raphael's aura. Pretty neat huh?

Michael slowly clapped his hands and gave his praise sincerely, 添ou completely beat us both. No arguments here.

Mew keeps up a humble attitude and remarks, 鄭h don't feel bad, I had to work hard for that victory!

He then tilts his head and says with a curious smirk, 釘uuuuut since I won...You have to tell me what the deal is with you and Raphael!

Michael widens his eyes and then after a gentle cough says, 添eah I guess I shouldn't leave you hanging there.

Michael rubs the back of his head and stares longingly into space, 的ts not much of a story really. Him and I come from a planet that was one-half hot, one-half cold. Both sides were constantly at war over territory control and the both of us just happened to be opposite sides of the war.

I always tried to keep away but he took a strange liking to me and singled me out on the battlefield. Well, one thing led to another and after some terrible accident covered our planet in ice Raphael and I wound up being the only survivors.

But we pretty much had one foot in the grave until some wizard guy came and saved us...By merging both of our bodies into one form.

Ooof, sounds rough. Mew says, giving off a mix of empathy and intrigue.

Its had a lot of downsides, Michael shrugs and sighs, 鉄leep is hard and Raphael tends to take over at the worst possible times...

But with a more positive expression he says, 釘ut hey, at least I'm alive.

Yeah but how long can you keep that up? Mew wondered.

Well I've been at it for over two-thousand years already, so-

Two-thousand years?! Mew sputtered for a good five seconds, forcing him to catch his breath and swipe the drool off his face as he thinks, _擢__irst Auris now this guy? Geez, why are none of these immortal guy ever old men or women?!_

He then composes himself and moves on to another question, 展-Well alright if you say so...But now I've gotta wonder...Why work for Gravitus?

Cause he promised to find a way to split me off from Raphael. Michael states cleanly.

Mew is caught by surprise, but his reaction proves dull compared to the outrage Kairi would quickly express. She stamps her feet down to turn around and then yells at Michael, 典hat bastard's just using you! He doesn't care what you want!

Michael recoiled a little and stammered, 添-Yeah he uses us but like...I know for a fact he's trying his hardest to figure out a way to help me out.

His expression turned the sourest it had thus far as he whispered, 的t...just may be possible there _is _no way to fix this.

Michael caught himself sighing and then lifted his head up. He reached into his right vest pocket and pulled out a little stamp, waving at Mew to stick his hand out. He then planted the stamp onto the back of his hand. Its a yin-yang symbol with blue on one side and red on the other. Mew found it cute and grinned.

When you walk back through the portal it'll detect you got the stamp for beating me and move out of the way so you can head further into the Pyramid. Michael explained.

Mew dropped the stamped hand by his hip and said, 展ell it was nice meeting you Michael, but the two of us better get a move on.

Don't let me hold you up. You're gonna have your hands full fighting the other eight Planetary Aurians. Michael warned.

Mew then tilted his head and pondered aloud, 添ou say that but...Shouldn't there only be eight Planetary Aurians total?

Michael bit his teeth down with a hiss and then leaned in to Mew to whisper in his ear, 泥-Don't let the last guy catch you saying that. Seriously, I mean it.

With that ominous bit of advice Michael pulled back. Mew blinked a few times, shrugged, then turned towards the portal and walked past the grumpy Kairi. He told her in a lackadaisical tone, 釘etter catch up or I'll leave you behind princess!

Kairi swung her head back, saw Mew almost at the portal, then yelled 滴-Hey! as she ran after him.

Now all alone, Michael took in a deep breath, sat down, and reached underneath his vest to pull out an inch thick book with a mark on the halfway point.

Now where was I? He started scanning the pages of his book and felt nice and comfy. No voices in his head were going to give him trouble. He could read as much as he wanted to in peace.

Nothing like a good book... He says with a smile.

_Next Time: The Phantasm of Youth_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: The Wandering Girl**

Having partaken as the sole audience member in Mew's fight with Mercury, Kairi now followed the dim-witted so-called "Elemental Overlord" back through the portal.

They arrived in the Pyramid in a snap, with neither of them feeling dizzy despite the great expanse crossed. Kairi saw from the corner of her eyes as the stamp Mew got started to glow. As much as she hoped it'd be a trap that give him a good jolt, alas, life was never that fair.

Mew turned around and raised the back of his hand to the portal. The glow from the stamp guided the portal off to the left, opening the way to the next floor.

Then, as if this simple action was worth the effort to celebrate, Mew grinned. Kairi glared at him with jaded eyes and a soured pout.

"_God he's so disgustingly optimistic. He's like a smile with legs." _Kairi thought in a tone of pained annoyance. She then rolled her eyes and tried to look away, but unfortunately his issues manifested in more than just his smile.

In his ear-grating energetic voice he said "I can't wait!" and started rubbing his hands together, "Eight other Planetary Aurians...I can't wait to see what they're capable of!"

"_If its not smiles or breasts, its fighting. He's one big, dumb fightaholic..." _Kairi reared her head back and let out a "Hmph!"

So of course, Mew reacted to it. He turned and looked down at her in more way than one as he asked in his snide, almost mocking tone, "What's the matter princess? Aren't you even a little bit excited?"

"_Of all the nerve...!" _Kairi thought as he turned to glare at him. She kept glaring in the hopes his unflappable attitude would yield, but it did not. He responded with another one of his patented sighs and turned back towards the stairs.

"_He doesn't care about any of this! Its all just a game to him!" _With her cheeks puffing out in anger Kairi lowered her eyes and kept to her thoughts some more, _"The Planetary Aurians were supposed to be our heroes...But every last one of them are traitors allied with Gravitus!"_

She lifted her head and saw Mew heading up the stairs. She hated that her body's first instinct was to chase after him. It was almost like he had rented out space in her mind.

"_Just like he did with my mother's breasts...!" _She then scowled and levitated a hand up, pretending it was around his neck. She wiggled it around with a twisted up look on her face until Mew looked back. Then she laid it back under chest and looked away.

Once Mew faced back forward Kairi squinted at his back and thought, _"When you let your guard down I'm gonna knock your fraud-ass out and deal with those traitors myself. So have your fun while you can, asshole!" _

The climb to the third floor was taking longer than expected. The stairs were more long than they were high, and there was a bit of curvature to them around the middle part.

All the while Kairi looked at Mew from a safe distance and waited for an opening. His mind was so easily read and yet it was difficult to peg down his weaknesses. It should have been easy to get the jump on him, Kairi thought, but all Mew ever seemed to do is smile, smile, smile.

"Ugh, why are you so goddamn happy all the time?!" Kairi's thoughts boiled over and spilled out of her mouth, which she instantly clamped shut. But it was too late. She had given Mew an open-door invitation to get inside her head once more.

But for the first few seconds after she screwed it all up he just stared at her and uttered a "What?" with a slight giggle. He then wagged a hand around and echoed her question, "You're asking why I'm so happy all the time?"

Kairi squeezed her teeth together and growled in her head, _"Stupid stupid stupid! The one time he actually listens to you!"_

Mew tucked his hands in his pockets and asked, "Why princess, are you warming up to me?"

"GET BENT!" Was her natural defense mechanism against his flagrant stupidity.

Mew then paused for a moment and gave his answer in a surprisingly relaxed tone, "Cause I always try and make every day special."

Kairi tilts her head a bit towards him and goes "Huh?" as he continues with his hands laid on the back of his head.

"I'm not much of a future-thinker. I take every day as they come," Mew then creased out a smile and said something rather profound for good measure, "And if you smile a lot every day will be a good memory. And if you have good memories, then you'll want to smile more!"

"Ah...!" Kairi froze up with her eyes widened and her heart racing. Her brief surprise had faded by the time Mew looked and remarked, "You should try smiling a little more. I bet it'd do you a lot of good."

Mew left it at that and went back to climbing the stairs. Kairi stayed back, lightly grazing her bottom lip with her top teeth. She shook her head as her mind felt fuzzy, _"H-He didn't say that...There's no way he could know about..."_

She firmed her gaze and looked up after Mew. She narrowed her eyes and muttered, "No...No he's just messing with me."

Her expression resumed being sour as she chased him to the top of the stairs. Finally on the third floor, she noticed another portal at the end of the hall, with the room itself having a different atmosphere. Now there were glass pillars on both sides filled with various gases.

"_What kind of gases are these? Phosphorous? Hydrogen cyanide? Germane?" _As much as Kairi wanted to take a closer look at the tubes, she had unwanted company.

Mew surprised her with a snap of his fingers close to her body. The next second she found herself surrounded by a thin layer of air. She could feel it, but not see it. She hesitantly breathed it in with no ill effects, at least so far...

She glared at Mew and saw him also surrounded in air. He waved her towards the portal and started to walk towards it.

"_What. Now?"_ Kairi groaned in misery as Mew walked backwards to the portal and swung his arms out.

"After Mercury comes...?" He leaves her hanging like he was the host of Jeopardy as he steps right into the portal with a smile.

"Urgh..." Kairi lashed a fist out at the portal and wagged it a few times while cursing Mew out a bit. Then she scowled and grumbled, "He just thinks he can do whatever he wants...!"

She runs straight for the portal, refusing to let him out of her sight. After a swift warp her body and ears were whaled upon by a mighty storm. These howling winds filled with blistering heat and terrifying gases were the sole tourist attraction on the second planet from the Sun – the lonesome Venus.

Kairi's common sense about coming her head been shown the door by her anger, and now she was going to pay the price. But as she braced her arms under her chest and trembled, the woes of this world seemed content to leave her be.

"Huh?" She poked her head up a bit and watched as the gas storm grazed the wind Mew had put up around her, allowing her to see, breathe and move unimpeded.

"He protected me...?" Kairi muttered in utter confusion.

"Yeah I did!"

"Ahh!" Mew talking took Kairi completely by surprised, even though he was just a few feet away.

"Pretty cool h-WHOA!" Kairi takes a swing at his head and he ducks right under it, throwing his hands up and pretending like he's guilty of something.

"Easy there princess," Mew backed up out of her reach and then chuckled, "I figured this plan would work. Take that NASA! I'm the first man to walk on Venus!"

Kairi's eyes bulged at the sound of one word Mew spoke out of his dumb, stinky mouth. "Figured?" She gasped in disbelief as she edged towards him, "You left our lives in the hands of a...a guess?!"

She leaned into Mew's face with a scowl and saw his eyes shifting around struggling to make an excuse up. His best effort amounted to, "I-It was an educated guess!"

"ON A FIRST-GRADE LEVEL, IF THAT!" Kairi screamed, her face bright red. She struggled so, SO very hard not to punch him. Instead she rammed a pointer finger into his chest and yelled, "Quit putting us in danger!"

Mew shrugged and remarked, "You chose to follow me, just saying..."

"Urk!" Kairi sucked her lips in and pulled back. She turned away and growled in her head, _"He keeps doing this! God, please smite this idiot already!"_

When she turned back around Mew was off and running to check out the planet. He moved at a slow pace as he suddenly asked, "While we wait for our next opponent princess, why don't you tell me a little about Drives?"

Kairi grit her teeth and resorted to her natural response, "I ain't tell you jack, idiot!"

Mew rubbed the back of his head, sighed, then remarked, "Idiots don't normally try and learn new things princess."

He then made a point of trying to sound like HE'S the one getting fed up with all this as he asked, "Can you at least tell me one thing?"

Kairi puffed her cheeks with a pout and looked away as Mew continued, "Is it possible for a Drive's power to be used without a stone?"

Kairi perked her eyes up and wondered "What did he say?" She then turned to him and replied, "O-Of course not don't be ridiculous!"

"Really? Cause Michael and Raphael could."

"Well...they...must've had their stones hidden elsewhere!" Kairi snapped her fingers at Mew like her idea was brilliant. But then Mew started shaking his head and told her, "But your bracelets are the conduits for the Drive's power right?"

Kairi froze up and left Mew hanging. He figured her silence meant "Yes" and started thinking aloud to himself. Kairi held up her bracelet and stared at it, "_"He...he figured that out...all on his own?"_

Not even for a brief moment could she detach the idea of Mew being an idiot from her mind, and thus said with a smirk, "Lucky guess."

The winds of Venus started to calm down just a little and Mew pointed his gaze eastward. He laid a hand over his forehead and remarked, "Ah, here they come!"

Kairi followed his gaze towards the deep shroud of gases. A shadow floated closer. It was shaped like a triangle with ridges like on a sawblade. It waved around in the winds, creating a few more inhuman shapes until it was no longer a shadow, but a cloth. A big old, brown, lined cloth made to look like a cloak. But there was no one or no thing attached to it.

...At least, not at first. As the winds continued to stall some gases became more solidified inside of the cloak. It stretched to-and-fro and made a wavy triangular shape slightly bigger than the cloak. But when Kairi looked up at the head, she let out a little gasp of shock.

"T-That's..."

Perched atop the cloak was the silhouette of a little girl's face. Her eyes, lips, and hair came in visibly. Kairi guessed the girl couldn't have been older than eight because of that. She started shaking and curled a fist up before her chest.

"Well hi there!" Mew blurted out. Kairi then looked at him.

"_How could he be so obscene?" _She wondered, _"This girl probably can't even talk."_

The phantom drifted closer. She was cautious, but seemed friendly. Mew smiled at her and asked in the same manner her did with Mercury, "My name's Mew. What's yours?"

"...Venus..." The phantom faintly whispered. Her voice sounded like it should on a girl her age, but that just made the pain of listening to her that much stronger. Kairi squeezed her fist tighter and bit her lower lip to hide her pale gasp as she tried to back away.

But Mew simply smiled and said, "That's a nice title, but that's not your name...Is it?"

Venus waved her little shapeless hands out and murmured, "We are supposed to fight, aren't we mister?"

"_She's so...polite," _Kairi noted, _"How...how did she wind up like this?"_

Mew folded his arms up against his chest and remarked, "Yeah I guess we do have to fight, huh?"

Suddenly Kairi found herself being called out by Mew, "Hey princess, I'll leave this in your hands!"

Kairi swung her head to him and stuttered "What?" before the full weight of what he asked hit her head-on, "You want me to do what?!"

"Fight Venus," He said as if it was easy or obvious to do, "I mean you did say you could beat a Planetary Aurian, correct?"

"You can't expect me to-!" Kairi bit her tongue and pulled back. She didn't want him to see her hesitate.

"_I"m not giving him the satisfaction...!" _She faced the phantom girl and called her staff into her hand, stamping it on the ground.

"Atta girl! That's the spirit!" Mew's praise just pissed Kairi off. But not as much as him suddenly turning tail and walking off, "Well, good luck!"

"W-Where are you going?!" Kairi exclaimed.

"To see what the planet's got to offer. I shouldn't be gone long!"

Before Mew was out of hearing range Venus murmured, "No shield..."

Mew turned around and after a "Huh?" listened to Venus point her ghastly hand towards Kairi and repeat, "No shield..."

Mew wagged his hand out and explained, "She'd die without it."

Venus closed her eyes and the winds suddenly shifted in a circular fashion around her and Kairi. The gases were shoved aside, leaving a vast arena for the two to fight in. Mew blinked, then snapped his fingers amidst turning around and hollered, "Like I said, good luck!"

Kairi lost her veil of air but could still breathe just fine. She yelled to Mew "If I die its your fault!" but he was either too far away or purposefully ignored her. Kairi figured it was the latter.

"Asshole..." Kairi grumbled before turning towards Venus.

The phantom floated there silently. Looking at her gave Kairi goosebumps, and she swallowed tightly. Then she grabbed her staff in both hands and pointed it at Venus.

"...Lets go." Kairi whispered. Venus slowly nodded her head, and then from the rim of the arena she drew in gases to create two big hands besides her.

"Yes, lets play." She said without fear or hesitation.

**Vs. The Gaseous Phantasm: Aurian Venus!**

Kairi slowly blinked her eyes and muttered "W-Wait...what?" only to find one of those hands clenching into a fist and flying straight towards her face.

"Ack!" Kairi swung her staff at it and hit the middle knuckle. But the gases break apart on contact and the whole rest of the fist flies right past her.

Kairi looks up at Venus and watches her send the other fist straight away. Kairi grumbles _"I guess if she's willing to fight..."_ then cusps her staff in both hands and takes a swing at the fist to break it apart.

She then runs for the phantom girl and leaps at her with her staff wrapped in aura. When she takes a swing downward, Venus glides gently to the right and watches Kairi plummet for the ground, her staff doing little but putting a hole in it. It'd be a hole fitting for playing golf with, at least.

Venus calls her fists back up then lets out a quiet but rather shrewd giggle. Kairi slowly pulled her staff out of the ground and said with one eye raised higher than the other, "Is she...taunting me?"

Venus didn't respond and continued to float daintily in place. She wiggled the left side of her cloth and the adjacent fist rose up into the storm of gas clouds, scooping out a large mass and solidifying it into a few orbs with a squeeze.

Kairi squinted her eyes and saw a chance to attack Venus. She leaped straight at her and leaned her staff diagonally against her waist. Venus swung the other hand out open palmed between her and Kairi.

Kairi swung her staff prematurely and smashed it against the hand's center, where her staff was unable to make it through. She bounced off and landed on the ground a couple seconds later, with the hand turning upright and waving her off.

Kairi squinted her eyes and was almost feeling like an idiot for feeling pity for this phantom. She closed her eyes all the way and grumbled, _"I was letting myself get fooled, god I'm an idiot."_

Once she lands she leaned her head back all the way and muttered, "She's just another of that bastard's pawns..."

A huge shadow loomed overhead. Kairi stepped back and saw the fist she left behind dropping down in the shape of a hammer head. She leaped back and was knock over upon landing by the hammer's shockwave.

When she fell on her rear she quickly stood back up and saw her chance to strike yet again. She focused entirely on the gas hammer and jumped on top of it for support. But before she could leap off it the mass in it thinned out and she fell into it.

The gas flew up and spun around her in a mini-tornado to get her coughing. Fortunately it was a pretty basic type of gas. Nothing like the hot stuff plaguing the planet day by day. Unfortunately, gas is still gas, and its not good to breathe it in for long.

Kairi closed her mouth until the rest of the gas passed. But as she looked up she saw the phantom girl had another trick up her full-body sleeve.

The hand she sent off earlier returned, balancing those orbs on three of its fingers like basketballs. Then each of those fingers wiggled the orbs off and sent them plummeting to the ground.

Kairi widened her eyes and bounced backwards. She wasn't chancing it with those orbs, and her suspicions would pay off when they all exploded upon contact with the ground. They dispersed a bunch of strange white gases, some of which Kairi manages to inhale by accident.

Right away she leans forward, pinches her lips together, and tries to fight off an emerging urge to laugh. But its futile. The gases are too strong, and the longer she resists the more she inhaled. Suddenly she's in tears and cuddling her stomach as she bursts into laughter.

"Hahahaha! Hahaha!" It thankfully didn't last long, as once the gases disappeared Kairi had finished exhaling it from her lungs.

But now she was _pissed_. She grit her teeth and looked up at Venus, yelling at her, "D-Do you think this is some kind of game?!"

Venus clapped her big hands together. It was basically the equivalent of sending a message to Kairi that "Yes, this is all one big joke to me" without a single word spoken between both parties.

Kairi gripped her staff in both hands and with a loud roar she lunged straight for Venus with one vicious leap. She twisted her body back around and her pupils were as small as a hungered cat's. She then swung with all of her might and with the help of some aura around her staff she broke through Venus' hands and smacked the phantom girl right in the center of her cloth.

Venus was blown back, tumbling around until she bounced off the edge of the arena and shook her head around. The silhouette of her face became disturbed for a moment, projecting an illusion that she looked a little sad.

Kairi wasn't falling for it, _"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!" _

She landed on the ground and swung her staff by her hip, taking up a rather aggressive stance as she said, "No more games! Fight me or get out of the way!"

Venus drew her hands back and levitated a little lower towards Kairi. Then the shape of her lips curled downward as this melodious melancholy seemed to surround her. The winds around the arena went silent, and then suddenly whirled much faster than before. The walls of the arena arose to create a miniature funnel cloud, with the two of them standing in the eye of the storm.

"Ok..." Venus took her big hands, pressed and stretched their fingers out until they cracked, and her voice took upon a more grizzly tone, "Lets fight."

The big hands then opened and raised up at the sides of Venus' body. With a snap of their fingers a couple holes are punctured into the storm walls. From those holes emerge solidified spears of gas that shoot straight at Kairi.

Kairi turns to the right and bats one spear away with her staff then leaps back away from another. She swats away a couple more spears and finds her arms retracting with each one she hits.

Venus holds both of her hands together and her bigger fists squeeze a bunch of gases in place. With the spears keeping Kairi company Venus is able to rub the gases unimpeded. The more she rubs it, the brighter the glow in the space between grows.

The spears subside for the moment as Venus parts her hands, revealing a sun that's roughly the size of her head. Kairi widens her eyes and nearly drops her staff on the ground.

"_She can make miniature suns?!" _Kairi then bit her teeth together and felt herself trembling at the ankles. The power of the sun was in the palm of this little phantom girl's hands, and right now she was juggling it back and forth like a hacky sack.

Kairi looked around and found herself wondering, _"God where did that idiot run off to? I can't believe I'm saying this...but I could really use his help right now!"_

_Meanwhile..._

Mew whistles his way through the barren lands of Venus. He happily has his hands tucked in his pockets as he looks around, his motives a pure mystery to anyone but himself...And that demon in his head.

Fortunately for Mew he hasn't heard a thing from him since coming to Sancturia. Which has allowed his mind the chance to focus on other things. Such as...

"Now where is it?" Mew pointed his head at the ground and stopped to shuffle his feet around and disrupt the dirt, "I swear I felt a heavy calcium deposit somewhere close by..."

His toes bumped up against some solid mass underground and he let out an "Oh!" like a child discovering something new. He slides his toes back and holds his hand down to do a little digging with his mind. After uncovering the upper layer of dirt Mew's hand tenses up and he mutters "Oh..." with a deflated sense of enthusiasm.

_Back with Kairi..._

She bites her lower lip and growls "Oh forget him!" then slams her hand down on her Drive stone. She swings her whip out as her aura rises up from her body and then declares, "My Beast Tamer Drive can handle this!"

Venus giggles and then finally decides to toss the sun straight towards Kairi. In response Kairi squeezes a hand before her chest and summons her aura lion. She looks at it with a heavy heart and then swings her hand up at the sun, yelling at the beast "Go!"

The lion nods then leaps straight in the air. In seconds it latches onto the miniature sun and coils itself around it tightly to apply pressure. In doing so the lion causes the sun to explode, sacrificing its fleeting existence in the process.

Kairi then quickly summons a tiger and whips it a couple times to increase its size. Venus spends a moment looking shocked, with her big hands squeezing their fingers inward to imitate blinking.

"You aren't pulling that stunt again!" Kairi said with determination as she commanded her tiger to go leaping at Venus.

The phantom girl twirled aside and brought her fists along with. The tiger pounced upon the storm wall and create an aura platform under its feet to defy gravity and offer support. It prowled along the side towards Venus, who wagged one of her "hands" at it and muttered, "Bad kitty."

The tiger hunched over with a growl then came sprinting towards Venus, who flew back quickly to get away. Holes opened up in the walls to try and impale the tiger upon spears of gas. The tiger weaved between the spears and took a leap towards the little girl.

Venus took one of her big hands and slapped the tiger right in the face, repeating what she said a moment ago with a bit more oomph, "Bad kitty!"

The tiger fell on its side and went rolling towards Kairi's legs, where it barely mustered the strength to stand on all fours. Kairi's knees shook and she took a second to give the tiger a quick whip to help provide it strength.

"**Splat!" **

Venus crushed the tiger under one of her big fists, rubbing the knuckles around for good measure. Then she pulled her hand up and wagged the fingers at Kairi mockingly.

Kairi stamped her right foot down and declared "Oh that's it!" as she summoned a grizzly bear and gave it a few good whips to make it as big as she did against Mew.

The bear stood on its hind legs and let out a roar so ferocious that all the gas in Venus' fists dematerialized for a moment, and she was left fluttering her eyelashes. Kairi's head hung over as she took a moment to catch her breath. Then she raised it and threw a punch out in the air while declaring, "Knock her out!"

The bear was in sync with Kairi's emotions and raised its right claw while continuing to roar. Venus stood still in place and reformed her hands, but then combined them into even one bigger hand and squeezed its fingers around the claw.

The bear pushed against it and seemed to be making headway, until Venus seemed to decide she had enough. With a bit of a leap in volume Venus remarked, "Go away!"

The big hand let go, lifted itself above the bear, and then swiped itself straight down the front of it. The gases of the hand turned rough like sandpaper and ground away the mass of this massive bear like an eraser to chalk. When all's said and done, the bear only had the back half of its legs to fall back on.

Kairi hung her body over and let out a pale gasp of "A-Again?" as the legs collapsed forward and vanished into dust. Her heart thumped loudly against her chest as Venus descended upon her and asked a playfully dreadful question, "Can we play some more now?"

Kairi had no answer. Her mouth moved but no words came out. Venus just wiggled her little hands out and said, "That's sad..."

She raised a big gas hand over Kairi's body and prepared to deal the final blow. Kairi let out a tiny whimper and closed her eyes...

"TIME OUT!"

Venus stopped the hand inches above Kairi's head and the two of them looked at the edge of the arena. Mew was standing there with his hands clapping into a T position a few times.

Kairi blinked a few times as Venus withdrew her hands and turned to Mew, asking him in a curious voice, "Will you play with me now mister?"

Mew folded his arms against his chest, smiled at Venus, and told her delicately, "Not right now dear. I need to talk with my grouchy tag-along for a moment."

Mew trots up to Kairi, ignores her feelings of imperilment, and then chuckles at her, "Having a fun time?"

The moment Mew closed his eyes Kairi took her whip to his head and _almost_ hit him. But he's just as slippery as a toad. After ducking under that attack Mew took a few cautious steps back. Kairi panted and then growled at him, "What do you want?!"

Mew looked over his shoulder at Venus and gave her a smile and wave as she loomed patiently a few feet behind him. He then turned to Kairi and asked her, "Did you ask Venus what her deal is?"

Kairi swung her arms down and exclaimed, "I **know** what she is! She's a little girl that Gravitus experimented on...and then mind-controlled to obey his every command!"

Mew pinched the space between his eyes, let out a sigh, then turned to face Venus. Kairi looked at her as well and saw that she was slowly floating away, almost like it was an admission of guilty towards her accusations.

But then Mew said to Venus cordially, "Soooo this is probably none of my business but...You mind explaining the skeletons buried over there?"

He started gesturing to the north. Kairi stared that way and muttered "S-Skeletons?" knowing _exactly _what that implied.

Mew turned towards Kairi and waved a hand out beside his face as he said, "Yeah. Whoooole lot of them too. Maybe fifty or so? I didn't want to take the time to count them all."

As Kairi spent some time in shock Mew looked back to Venus and turns down the sass quite a bit as he noted, "They were all buried in their own graves and organized neatly into rows and columns."

For the first time, Kairi saw Mew's lip sink as he found himself having difficulty putting his thoughts into words. And yet, what he said really resonated with her.

"You must have really cared for those people."

Venus hung her head and lowered her little hands. Her bigger hands dispersed into the air, and she hovered closer to the ground. Mew waved at himself and tried to smile in hopes that Venus would take notice.

The phantom girl inched a little closer and then stopped a few feet away. Kairi just stood there watching the events unfold, only able to be a spectator in this strange turn of events.

"Those graves are...filled with the bodies of my old colony..." Venus whispered.

"Old colony?" Mew pondered. Venus nodded her head.

"My papa and mama...They led a colony of space cowboys. They traveled across the cosmos looking for new adventures and sometimes trouble came to find them too..."

"I was happy to be their daughter...Cause they loved me very much. Whenever they would go to new worlds, they'd always bring me back a new type of flower to plant in my garden."

"Papa and mama came to this planet and decided they wanted to settle down and make it their new home. It was a pretty world full of greenery and water..."

"_It...was?" _Kairi dreaded the direction the story was going.

Venus closed her eyes and her little see-through body started to look pale. She then continued her story, "Then a big storm blew through the planet...It carried a lot of 'radiation'...I think...It made me feel warm, and then very cold."

"...I woke up unable to feel or move or speak...It was very scary...I-I was all alone. No one else survived. Mama, papa, everyone...They lost their skin and could no longer move."

"I was pushed around by the wind until a strange old man came to visit. He took pity on me and tried to give me a body again...But he could only make me one with the gases that had hurt me..."

Venus waves her little hand towards her cloak and gives it a couple pokes, "Without this cloak...I would disappear."

Kairi took another glance at Mew and saw that he was neither smiling nor frowning. He just slowly bobbed his head and listened. It was a side to him that didn't make any sense to Kairi.

Venus then waved her hand out and remarked, "And then Mr. Gravitus showed up and said he could help me. He said that...given time...he would find a way to restore my old body..."

"Oh he did huh?" Mew said with a somewhat cheeky grin.

Venus nodded. Mew then crossed his arms against his chest, bobbed his head, then snapped his fingers up by his face and said, "Then that settles it!"

Both Venus and Kairi whispered "Huh?" as Mew knelt down in front of the phantom girl and held his right hand out.

"**I'll **be the one to get you your body back!"

"HUH?!" Kairi exclaimed as her body leaned back in shock.

Mew tilted his head and with a big bright grin giggled, "But in exchange you've gotta tell me your real name, ok?"

Venus fluttered her eyes a few times and then stammered out, "M-Maria...Argus."

"Maria..." Mew echoed with a bob of his head, then smiled at her and remarked, "Now _that's _a cute name."

He then took Venus' tiny hand and shook it gently, taking care not to touch her for long. He then told her, "Then its a promise!"

He then stands up, crosses his arms and remarks, "And heck, while I'm at it...I might as well see about getting Michael and Raphael split up too!"

He leans sideways at Kairi and chuckles, "It probably won't be thaaaat hard right?"

"Heeheehee..."

Mew turns back and joins Kairi in watching Venus crack a smile. Kairi lays a hand gently on her chest and feels a warmth projecting from it, along with a slow heartbeat. She curls her fingers into a fist and hangs her head a little.

"_She's just a little girl..." _Taken the time to think things through, Kairi almost wondered how she could've let herself get so angry at a child. She probably didn't want to accept the answer to that.

Mew then interrupted her moment of reflection by saying to Venus, "And when you get your body back, I definitely wanna see you smile even brighter Maria. You got a really cute one."

"Thanks." Venus murmured. Then she perked her little eyes up and said, "Oh!"

She took one of her hands up to the back of Mew's and starts etching something with a tiny bit of gas. Its another stamp, only this time its a simple smiley face.

"Good luck on the next floor mister." She said.

"Thanks! And you take care alright?" Mew responded.

Venus then wandered off into the winds of the planet, leaving Mew and Kairi to return to the portal. The two of them are quiet until they arrive back in the Pyramid, where Kairi finds she cannot hold back her voice any longer.

"How can you make that kind of promise to a total stranger?!" She yelled as she swung one hand out and waited for Mew to turn around and explain himself.

He just kept up his lackadaisical attitude about as he waved a hand around his face and remarked, "Do I need a reason to help someone?"

"Hasn't she been lied to enough?!" Kairi suddenly found herself yelling until her face turned red, "She's just a little girl! Don't build up her expectations if you can't deliver upon them!"

"Kairi..." Mew seemed to have a moment of realization, but then grinned and told her in his brazen tone of voice, "So there is some kindness buried in that heart of ice after all!"

Kairi went "Auff!" and swung her fists down, then stamped her feet hard as she turned around and crossed her arms under her chest to yell, "Why do I even bother?!"

Mew sighed then swung a hand out as he remarked, "I'm not going to fail her. Or your mother either."

Kairi glared over her shoulder and huffed at him, "Whatever...Lets go to the next floor."

"Nah." Mew suddenly blurted.

"What?!" Kairi turned around and leaned into him angrily.

Mew waved his hand around and said in a chipper tone, "I'm beat. I think I'm gonna head back into town and take another look around."

"You have a job to do!" Kairi exclaimed as he turned around, "Hey!"

Mew leaned his head back and remarked, "The Pyramid's not going to suddenly blow up."

He tucked his hands into his pockets and added, "Come on princess, join me...Oooor you can stay here until I get back, your choice."

"And let YOU run rampant in town?!" Kairi swung her head up and slowly followed him to the stairs, "Forget it! I'm not taking my eye off you!"

Mew shrugged and chuckled, "Suit yourself! I could use a tour guide anyways!"

Kairi exclaimed, "I am NOT your tour guide!"

And so the two spend a very long time walking down the stairs, bickering the whole way through...

_Next Time: The Mirror Society_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The Mysterious City**

After an arduous climb down the Pyramid Mew finally emerges out the entrance an stretched his arms to the sky. His angry little anchor named Kairi dragged her feet out of there a second later and immediately said, "Why does this place need so many stairs?!"

Mew turned around and said, "Bet you wish this place had an elevator now huh princess?"

Kairi swung her head aside and declared, "I-I enjoy the exercise!"

Mew stared down at her trembling knees and smiled as he thought, _"Liar. Your knees are shaking like a couple-a rattlesnake tails."_

Mew's smile was the thing Kairi laser focused on a she leaned in and growled, "If you have something to say, say it!"

"Nah I'm good," Mew gently replied, waving one hand up by his hip, "Some things are better kept in my head."

"When has THAT ever stopped you before?" Kairi squinted his way.

Mew recoiled a bit and gave credit where its due by muttering "Ouch". But after that mild burn wore off he smiled and said, "Well anyways, I'm feeling a tad thirsty right now, so-"

"Swallow your own piss." Kairi bluntly told him.

"Ok one, ew. Two, let me finish," Mew said hastily in a display of some impatience, then slowed down to remark, "Third, I was hoping you knew a good place to go juicing."

"What?" Kairi looked perplexed by his terminology, so Mew saw fit to correct it.

"You know, a place to quench to thirst?" Mew looked at Kairi blinking and went, "No dice?"

So for the third time he asked, "A hot spot to go to when you need a cold one on a hot summer's day?"

Kairi gave him a completely blank stare as lifeless as the moon. Mew closed his eyes and sighed, "A juice bar. I'm talking about a juice bar."

"Oh," Mew finally got a reaction out of Kairi, "Well why didn't you just say that?"

And it was just as bitter as the rest of them. Kairi brushed her hand off her arm and said, "Just go South and you'll run into one eventually."

Mew raised his brows and nudged at her, "Can you take me there?"

"I told you I'm NOT your tour guide." She defiantly replied.

Mew leaned back, wagged a hand around, then gave her a bit of a sneer, "Well you leave me no choice. I'll just have to ask your mom."

Mew started to turn back around only for Kairi to run in front of him with her back turned. She stamped her feet down and let out a very intense growling, "Follow me."

Mew smiled and cocked a bit of an attitude as he said to her, "Why thank you princess."

"Die one thousand deaths..." Kairi grumbled through her pinched teeth, her tone as ferocious as a demon's.

The two started walking. Well, Mew did anyways. Kairi's "walking" could be described as a person trying to navigate stilts through thick marshland.

She was reeeeeaally angry, and though Mew knew he was to blame he didn't understand why.

"_...Well, that's not entirely true."_ He thought with his eyes squeezed shut, _"She didn't exactly get the best first impression of me."_

The memory of said encounter being something he very happily threw into the big trash pile in his mind...At the edge, on the off-chance he maaaaybe would like to salvage it. Then he rolled his eyes and thought, _"But its not like she's given me a chance to explain myself."_

He stared down at Kairi's back. He noticed her movements were so stiff that her limbs might as well be made of wood. And considering the time spent with her he kinda had to re-evaluate those scuff marks on her legs.

"_I thought she was more of a scrapper but..." _As Mew continued to stare at her legs he found his eyes wandering to her butt then up to her head.

He had a tiny smile as he remarked, _"The ponytail's cute, really adds to the tomboy look she's got."_

He started blushing and let up a tiny cough that sold him out to Kairi on what he was doing. She turned and with a foul scoff said, "Quit staring."

Mew hastily came up with an excuse, "O-Oh I was just...admiring your scars of battle!"

"_What kind of answer's that?!" _Mew shouted in his head.

"That was a crappy pick-up line," Kairi pinched her lips. Her cheeks became a tint of pink as she turned around, "The mother wasn't good enough so you creep on her daughter...You're shameless."

"That's not..." Mew bites his teeth and pulls his head back with a huge sigh, "The leaps in logic this girl makes I swear..."

He was in an unpleasant minefield with Kairi, where every answer he gave would, not could, set off a bomb. He shook his head and thought,_ "Guess there is some truth in television when it comes to girls."_

So to avoid her actions blowing up in his face Mew held his head up high. He then tried to change subjects, "So how was your fight going with Venus?"

"It was going fine until you butted in!" Kairi stated bluntly.

"So you were winning?" Mew spoke with genuine intrigue. Kairi spun around and declared, "You think I'm a liar?!"

"_And there goes another mine..." _Mew groaned aloud, but then kept to his thoughts a bit.

"_I swear its like she's put up a huge wall that's impossible to penetrate..." _Mew then glanced aside and realized, _"...M-Maybe penetrate's not the right word to uuuuse..."_

He then flinched slightly and looked to the left, "Yo princess. Incoming, nine o'clock."

Kairi's head turned to the right where her forehead was then knicked by a crushed soda can. She winced and the can clanged onto the ground. Mew didn't react to the hit and just stared at the aggressors.

It was a trio of teenagers. Neatly dressed, normal, everyday teenagers. Two guys and one girl. All of them laughing and wagging their fingers at Kairi.

Kairi reacted as expected. Hostile. Volatile. Her face were bright red and she gnashed her teeth like a crocodile. She was a powder keg ready to blow and those three dumbasses were going to feel her wrath.

Before Kairi rolled up her sleeves and went charging took two fingers and pinched her shirt collar to hold her at bay.

"W-What are you...?" She turned her frustration on him. Probably for the best, even if it gave the rowdy teens more ammo.

"Nice leash, bitch!"

"Bet your master scratches reeeeeeal good!"

The teens had found their fun and ran off. When they were safely out of earshot Mew said, "Forget them, they're just teenagers."

Kairi turned sideways and growled, "**You**...are just like them!"

While Mew was stunned Kairi backhanded his wrist to make him let go. There its shown that she got a small cut on her forehead from the can.

Mew pointed at her head and said, "You're bleeding. Let me-"

"N-No, stop it!" Kairi backed up and covered the wound under the lip of her cap. Mew withdrew his hand and let her be.

She quietly mumbled, "They're all just jealous...of my bloodline."

"..." Mew stared at her until she turned around and said "We're almost there" in a tone of defeat.

Mew thought about that statement she made for a bit. There was sincerity to her words, but just how much exactly? It seemed like one half was honest, the other half a lie. But what was what?

And that wasn't the only question he had.

"_Why is this city imitating Earth society? What could cause an entire populace to turn on one girl? Why would a tyrant make promises to help others? ...And why would they trust him?"_

Those questions and many more led Mew to one conclusion: _"There's a mystery to unravel in this lost city."_

He then pretended to tip the lip of an invisible hat and with a smile thought, _"And Detective Mew is on the case!"_

After that prior bit of drama Mew knew he could use a light pick-me-up of humor. Luckily for him another shameless parody of a famous company was ready to deliver that much needed pinch of laughter.

Him and Kairi's stopped in front of a small building that was white and green. On display above the front door is a round sign with good ol' Lady Liberty on display – only she was supporting flashy sunglasses and a rather smug grin. On top of that, the store itself was called "Sunbucks".

Mew shook his head and chuckled, "They didn't even try..."

"Here you go," Kairi said in her standoffish tone, "Now I'm out of here."

She tried to walk past Mew but he waved his hand out and said honestly, "I could really use a recommendation of what to get."

Kairi turned and had this little off-center pout that really sold how tired she was. So Mew put on an earnest smile and told her, "Help me with this and you'll never see me again."

"Never again?" Kairi raised her brows.

"Never again." Mew replied.

"Never ever?" Kairi repeated as she tilted her head.

"Never ever ever!" Mew assured her.

She closed her eyes and grumbled, "I don't believe you but fine."

She fluttered her right hand out and said, "Go in, I'll be right behind you."

Mew shrugged and went for it. He ventured through "Sunbucks'" doors and was greeted by exactly what he expected from commercials of its Earthly counterpart.

A comfy atmosphere helped by warm lighting, soft browns and greens, and a delectable selection of drinks and pastries under the front counter. There were a few people sitting around enjoying coffee or other lighter drinks. Mew, however, kept his eyes squarely on the store's barista.

And ivory haired cutie with light eyeshadow wore the company's mandatory black outfit and green apron. She had a mild smile and part of a tattoo under her left sleeve. She didn't look too happy to be here so Mew saw it was his duty to flip her disposition around

He walked up to the counter, took a deep breath in, and thought to himself, _"OK Mew, time for your A-game."_

He leaned up against the edge of the counter, looked the girl in the eyes, then gave her the almighty shoulder nudge of confidence, "Wheeew. Turn down that smile, you're gonna leave me blind."

The girl's eyes narrowed and she looked straight over Mew. Mew closed his eyes and thought, _"Haaa...Face it Mew, you got about as much game as the Tamba Bay Buccaneers."_

"Oh, its **you**." The barista growled to a rather obvious target of disdain.

Mew looked back and saw Kairi standing around with her arms crossed and smile smug, "Oh I didn't recognize you Matilda. You look different without your padding."

The barista squeezed her eyes closed and tried to stay professional as she replied, "I realize I didn't need them."

"Was that before or after your boyfriend broke up with you for wearing them?" Kairi asserted with a snicker.

Matilda widened her eyes and started to yell, "That's because you popped them you big-breasted sk-"

"Whoa!" Mew swung his arms at both girl's face and stepped into the overwhelming role of mediator, "Ease up! We're out in public for crying out loud, people are watching!"

Both girls showed maturity by raising their heads and letting out an angered "Hmph!" to Mew's intervention. Mew stood up and rubbed the back of his head while thinking, _"Can't catch a break here can I?"_

Matilda then made a vengeful comment with a wide sneer, "Take your boyfriend and leave the store. You're not welcome here."

"B-Boyfriend?!" Kairi reacted to it but Mew was nonplussed by it.

"Hey hey hey," He said while waving his hand around towards the barista, "That's not very hospitable. Whatever beef you have with the princess has nothing to do with me."

Mew closed his eyes and asserted his rights in as polite a manner he could muster, "I'm a customer. Just let me get a drink and we'll be on our way."

Matilda grit her teeth and manifested something resembling a grin after a few seconds of forcing it. She then asked Mew with a frazzled tone, "Can I take your order?"

Mew looked up at the menu written in chalk and put a hand to his chin. He rubbed it slowly, drawing out his decision much to the barista and Kairi's respective annoyance.

After about a minute of him standing around both girls yelled in unison "Hurry up already!" and Mew wagged his hand out and said, "Alright alright already..."

He then snaps his fingers and says, "One strawberry lemonade please."

"...Coming right up." While Matilda went to deal with this order Mew turned to Kairi with a question tickling the tip of his tongue.

"Sooo, fellow classmates?" He asked with a grin.

"...If you can call us that." Kairi replied, her tone aggravated to the point it was clear she wanted nothing to do with the subject.

Mew slowly blinked once and then thought, _"...Maybe I've pressed her enough for one day."_

In what was potentially his smartest move all day, Mew turned away from Kairi and waited for his drink to arrive. It took ten seconds longer than expected but when the generic brand plastic cup dropped on the counter filled with a luscious reddish-pink liquid, Mew delightfully picked it up and bowed his head slightly at the barista.

"Thank you very much." He started to turn and make his way for the door.

"Hey! You forgot to pay!" Matilda exclaimed.

Mew turned around and fluttered his eyes a few times. He then looked back up at the menu and realized there were indeed prices labeled next to the items he could buy. He then started blankly towards the counter and wondered, _"Oh right, of course there'd be an economy..."_

Feeling stupid for that little mental slip up, Mew would feel even stupider once he instinctively reached towards his right pocket and realized something very important.

"_Wait crap, I don't have any money..." _Mew's hand froze up on the lip of his pocket as a couple sweat drops formed on his face.

Primed and vulnerable to attack on two fronts, it was Kairi who took the first strike with her bitter tongue, "This idiot just arrived in Sancturia, he doesn't have any money."

"Oh, really?" Matilda crossed her arms near her shoulders and glared at Mew, making him sweat more.

"_Out of everything that could unite them, it had to be me being a dumbass..." _Mew put the drink down, punched his chest lightly a couple times to cough, then raised a finger up to say, "Give me ooone moment."

He quickly whipped over to Kairi and nudged her off to the side away from Matilda's prying eyes. He then leaned in close to her face and whispered, "Do you got any money on you?"

"What? No! I'm not giving you money! Go get a job!" Kairi sputtered in disbelief. Mew pushed a finger up against her lips and went "Shhhh" to try and calm her down.

Then he retracted his hands, waved them up close to his chest, and muttered through gritted teeth, "No no no just show me the money and I'll make a copy of it."

"Oh. Fraud. That's soooooo much better!" Kairi glared his way.

Mew grinned and chuckled nervously before responding with, "L-Look its just one time ok? I reeeeeeaally need a drink."

Kairi squeezed her eyes shut and groaned, "Ugh, whatever...If it'll get you out of my hair faster..."

She reached into her back right pocket and pulled out a roughed up black leather wallet. She reached inside and pulled at something green. Mew tried to catch a glimpse at what else she had in the wallet out of an innocent sense of curiosity, but she clamped the insides shut the moment she saw him.

She then pinched a green piece of paper between her fingers and fanned it out, telling Mew with a tired gasp, "Here, take it."

Mew plucked it out of Kairi's hand and then stared blankly at it. It was rectangular, had the number "5" on each corner, and on the front was the portrait of a respectable man wearing a suit and a nice black beard. And above the portrait was-

"_Wait, back up..." _Mew returned to the man's portrait and squinted at it for a few moments. The portrait was staring back. Even in ink form the man's gaze displayed a powerful intolerance for injustice and a level of honesty far beyond his years.

Mew widened his eyes and blurted out in his head, _"Abe Lincoln?!" _

Mew swiftly flipped the paper over and saw the literal Lincoln Monument inked on the back. Hell, the only noteworthy difference between this and a normal-ass dollar bill was that the "United States of America" label had been replaced by "The United City of Sancturia". Otherwise the fonts, inks, and spacing used was a perfect match.

With a mind frazzled to the point of him feeling dizzy, Mew stumbled about in his mind until arriving at one answer, _"W-Who's the fraud supposed to be here...?"_

He shook his head and then looked at Kairi, throwing out a quick question in hopes that his confusion would be sorted out, "H-Hey princess, who is this person?"

Feigning ignorance hurt him a lot, but at least Kairi was willing to answer...In her usually blunt way.

"That's Abraham Lincoln." Was the correct answer.

"He's a famous Aurian who was born on Earth and became President of the United States." Not so much...

Mew squeezed his eyes shut and screamed in his head, _"I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!"_

He pushed his eyelids open and grit his teeth as he dared to ask, "And lemme guess, all your currency has portraits of other famous Aurians?"

Kairi utters "Duh" like Mew's the only one who should be losing his mind here...Which wasn't really inaccurate, all things considered.

Without a hint of irony to her tone Kairi began to say, "George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Jackson-"

"O-Ok I get the picture..." Mew had to stop her before he started thinking to deeply about 'Benjamin Franklin, the Father of Electricity and wielder of the almighty Kite Drive'.

He shook his head and then turned back around to the counter with five-dollar bill in hand. Kairi uttered a "H-Hey!" because of Mew's obvious change in plans regarding her money.

Mew leaned over his shoulder and stated, "Don't worry princess I'll pay you back whenever I get ahold of my wallet."

Now the tables were turned and Kairi was the one tilting her head and looking all befuddled. Mew honestly just wanted to forget what he just learned and so quickly handed the dollar over to Matilda, got the change to Kairi, then took his drink and left the establishment.

A sip of that sweet nectar was more than enough to take his breath away and put his mind at ease. While taking another drink he thought, _"Well...at least they use fresh produce!"_

Indeed, the quality of strawberries reminded him a lot of the stuff he had in his garden. After a bit of walking and drinking Mew noticed something was up.

He looked over his shoulder and saw Kairi trailing him like some little pouting puppy. He chuckled and told her, "You don't have to follow me anymore princess."

"I-I know that...!" She exclaimed, putting up a rough front, "My house is this way!"

Mew accepted that, at first anyways. But when he started walking more towards the left than straight ahead he looked back and still saw Kairi following him. This time she was glaring.

Mew stopped and turned around to tell her, "Your house isn't _this_ way."

Kairi narrowed her eyes until they were a millimeter open and growled at him, "You better not be planning on sneaking back into the Pyramid."

Mew wiggled his grin and said in a sing-song tone "Maaaaaaaaybe" but then wagged his left arm back and told her honestly, "Not today princess. I'm just going to relax and look around."

"...Whatever." Kairi gave a rough and tough shrug then turned to the right and started wandering off. But she didn't leave without pointing a finger at each eye and then gesturing them at Mew.

And she did keep good to her word. Mew was now all by himself, free to explore Sancturia at his leisure. Not that there seemed to be much to see, but Mew held out the slimmest bit of hope that he'd find something. Hopefully it'd provide an answer rather than more mysteries.

Mew wandered for a good hour or so. Sancturia was very large and a lot of the houses ran together design-wise. The other facilities, however, made for good indicators of when he was walking in circles.

But finally, he found something that caught his interest. There was an onyx statue standing twelve feet tall over a few houses. Mew walked up to it and saw that the statue was standing on a square pedestal. It depicted a man with his hand extended outward, a cape draped over part of his arm. The way his arm was positioned was a display of power and authority. He had a burly body and sagely robes. But the most important detail about the person's character would have to be on his face.

Sadly when Mew leaned his head back and stared up at the face, all he saw was a bunch of white spray paint covering it up. On top of that, the graffiti artist had taken the time to apply a red nose and pink blush on their cheeks.

"The dignity of this statue has been taken away on a one-way trip to Clown Town..." Mew sighed with some dismay, as he had hoped to learn more.

He takes one last sip of his drink, puts the empty cup down, then crosses his arms and examines the whole thing over. It wasn't just the face that had been defamed. The base of the statue had a few expletives drawn onto it such as "Bastard" and "Asshole".

With a catty smile he murmured, "Hmmm, now who do I know that uses such coarse language?"

Then he grinned and thought to himself, _"Guess I know who our little tagger is now."_

"_Hrrrmmm..." _Another voice he hadn't been bothered by in a while deigned to make a reappearance. With his nasally laughter the demonic 'D.' remarked, _"Oooh how fascinating..."_

Mew sighed and remarked with a bit of bite in his voice, "And here I thought you went to sleep...Forever."

"D." promptly ignored that and voiced his intrigue, _"I knew that name sounded familiar..."_

Mew could literally feel the demon's grin stretching inside of his head as he spoke, _"Who would've guessed that little mewling dog would grow up to rule this wretched city..."_

"So you also met Gravitus?" Mew took a slight interest in.

"_Back when he was Damascus, yes, I may have seen him once or twice..." _"D." then went from casual to scornful in the blink of an eye, _"Do you honestly believe I ever came to this city __**willingly**__?"_

"Doesn't matter to me," Mew stated firmly, "But since you do know about him..."

"_'Can you tell me more about him'?" _"D." replied with a cheeky rendition of Mew's tone of voice, _"Ohohoh I could...But I won't! No no no, its much more fun spectating this little charade you've involved yourself in."_

Mew sighed and ruffled his eyebrows a bit as he remarked, "You do nothing but spectate. Make yourself useful for once."

"_...Fine. I will tell you __**one**__ thing, but only because it'll undermine that witch's attempts at secrecy."_

Mew knew what he'd ask on the spot. He stared up at the statue's face and said, "You called Gravitus a dog. Does that mean he used to serve someone?"

"_Yes. He was an underling of the Ten Sages, the reigning sovereignty at the time, and the bloodline from whom that witch descended from."_

"So he used to be a servant. What did he do for them? Do you remember?"

"_One thing. That's all you'll get out of me."_

"...Fine." Mew wasn't unsatisfied, that little tidbit brought a lot more things to light than he was expecting.

"_So Gravitus used to serve under one of Auris' parents. And her bloodline ruled Sancturia..." _

"_They're all just jealous...of my bloodline."_

Mew echoed what Kairi said and wondered if, perhaps, he had it all wrong. Maybe there was no half-truths, maybe the whole thing she said _was_ the truth.

"_I wonder, wonder, wonder what is true..." _"D." tauntingly danced his spindly fingers on the space he rented inside of Mew's head.

Mew just rolled his eyes and murmured without a care, "Go back to sleep 'D.'"

"_Oh I will never sleep. And now...neither shall __**you**__."_ With that haunting sentiment the demon retreated into the quietness of Mew's head.

Mew rolled his fingers down his chin and couldn't deny that the demon was right, "With all these questions he's probably right. I'll be thinking about them from dusk til' dawn."

"_**Grgggglll..."**_

Mew flinched and looked down at his stomach. He could see his skin rumbling up against his shirt slightly. Rubbing his tummy to give it a little comfort, he chuckled and admitted, "Three fights and no breaks in-between...I'm honestly shocked I didn't hear ya complaining sooner."

He then turned around and surveyed the city for places to eat...Which only lasted a few seconds before he closed his eyes and grumbled, "Oh right, no money..."

He then held his arms against his chest and murmured, "Well I could just head back home and pick up my wallet..."

He closed his eyes and sighed, "Buuuut then I'd have to come right back here, eat, then return back home, go to bed, come back here again in the morning, rinse and repeat until I witness Gravitus' defeat..."

Mew wasn't even sure this place would have motels. It surely wouldn't make any sense for there to be any, but...

"Haaaa..." He took a hand up to the back of his head, started rubbing it, and hesitantly remarked, "Well, I guess I've got no choice..."

_A few minutes later..._

Mew knocks on the side of a house's front door door, props himself upright, then wiggles a little stiffness out of his shoulders as he takes in a very deep breath and waits for a response.

"_Here goes nothing..." _He dreaded as the cloth door parted and Kairi stood on the other wise, immediately going from docile to grumpy the moment he blinked.

Mew waved his hand up and remarked, "H-Hey...Any chance I can uhhh, spend the night?"

_Next Time: An Awkward Dinner_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: So Please, (Don't) Spend the Night**

Mew stood at the doorstep of the Aurora household. He kept up a nice, well-meaning smile and waited for Kairi to respond. She looked at him, didn't say a word, and proceeded to slam the cloth door shut.

Of course being made of cloth, the door waggled around, refusing to remain still. Kairi could be seen fighting against the door's wily nature and fighting on losing ground. Then she slammed her palms against the sides of the cloth, nailing it back into place. For good measure, she stamped her feet down on the bottom.

Mew blinked a couple times and then leaned in closer to the door. He pressed his right ear up just softly enough to not make it budge. On the other side of the door he could hear mother and daughter starting to converse.

"Who was at the door dear?" Auris inquired in her soft, pleasing tone.

"Just a loitering dumbass." Kairi scowled, with Mew having little trouble imagining her doing so with her arms crossed under her chest.

"Oh? So Mew came to visit?" Auris replied with an all too knowing hint of mockery in her voice. Mew cringed for a moment and quietly hissed out a "Heeey", but the insult was dulled by him imagining Auris saying that with her lovely smile.

"Yes mom, your boy toy came to visit." Kairi's response was dripping with sarcasm as the sound of her voice trailed off further into the house.

"What did he want?" Auris said, shockingly providing no denial nor reprimand towards Kairi's uncouth accusation.

"He asked if he could stay the night, so I shoo'd him off." Mew grinned and chuckled upon hearing that.

"Kairi, I know you're having difficulty having him around..."

"No. NO! You are _seriously _not suggesting I let him in are you?!" Kairi's outrage sounded loud enough for their neighbors to hear as well.

"Kairi..." Auris tried to calm her down with her gentle voice alone but she wasn't having any of it.

"Just because you seduced him doesn't mean I have to-"

"KAIRI!" The first yell Mew heard from Auris actually made him recoil a bit in shock. It was so firm – powerful yet loving all the same. Kairi was quieted in that exact moment, and Auris continued from there.

"This is my house. If I want to invite someone in, that is my right as an adult. I'm not going to force you to accept my decision, but if you don't go and let him in...I **will**."

That was the final word on the matter. With neither woman feeding Mew's ears with their juicy conversation, the boy stood right up in the same position he was in before. A couple seconds later Kairi brushed the door open with the back of her left hand and glared at Mew much worse than before.

"...I take it I can co-"

"Just hurry up before I change my mind..." Kairi said, squeezing her eyes to deny the repugnant sight of him.

Mew trotted his way into the house and slid right past Kairi's line of sight. He decided it best to avoid interacting with her until she calmed down. If that was even possible.

Mew had already familiarized himself with the living room, so he slipped past the comfy couches and made his way to the kitchen. Before he was at the door he caught a whiff of a kind of meal being cooked. He closed his eyes and became to imagine the flavors involved via the steam that tickled his nose.

"_Chicken with...fried green peppers, onions and rice on the side. Oh, and is that a hint of saffron I smell? Hehehe, nice to know Auris' got a good taste in spices."_

By the time he opened his eyes he found Auris standing under the door frame, a cooking mitt on each hand. She wore a long, enticing pink silk apron that said "Take Your Breath Away". Quite the double entendre, knowing her.

Mew wasn't as pulled in by her sexual wiles as he was before, but a small adolescent giggle still found its way out regarding the apron. He then waved his hand at Auris and told her with a smile, "Thanks for letting me come in."

"Its the least I can do," Auris then leaned in closer to his face and whispered, "Consider it part of my recompense for earlier."

But from Kairi's perspective, Mew could only imagine she saw her mother moving in as an act of her giving him a kiss. He swung his head back with an awkward grin that he probably should've suspected would be taken in the worst possible way.

Kairi's eyelids sagged and she looked too tired to give a shit at this point. She firmly planted her fists on her hips, sighed, and sank into the nearest couch.

Auris then pulled back and remarked aloud, "I'm making chicken breasts with a side of stir-fry. It'll be ready in a few more minutes."

Mew swiped a thumb up before his chest and went, "Niiiice."

Auris thus retreated into the kitchen. With nothing better to do, Mew decided to take a seat on the couch opposite of Kairi. He laid his arms out and just leaned back into the leathery surface.

"_Ah, just as comfy as I remember." _He took a breath in and sighed. He then looked ahead and saw Kairi glaring at him. Mew blinked in response, and her glare deepened. So Mew blinked even more until her glare was paper thin. Around then he noticed that the cut she got earlier had been cleaned and bandaged.

"_...Boy this is awkward," _Mew was the first to admit, _"There's gotta be some way to make this better..."_

As he heard her growling like a bull dog, Mew cracked half a smile and wondered, _"But should I even try?"_

He sighed some more and started believing that there's really no helping how Kairi felt about him, or anyone else for that matter.

Suddenly a break in the awkward silence came in the form of another knock on the house outside. It was a little louder than Mew's. Kairi rolled her eyes and got up, growling "Who _now_?" as she went to the door.

When she pushed it aside there was a giant man standing there. He had a big barreled chest that was totally covered by a blue and green gi in the style of a kimono. He wore the kind of baggy pants that samurai had on, and they were beige with a few cherry blossom petals sprinkled on in a glossy paint. A flowery obi wove out of linen separated the two halves of his clothing.

His face is rugged with a short cut black beard. Mew could tell from there that this man was getting up in his years. Though seeing how there wasn't a hint of grey in his hair, which was tied into a short-knot ponytail, the man was clearly on the lower end of his middle age-ness. If his burly chest and chiseled biceps weren't indicative enough, the couple scars on his cheeks showed that he was a warrior who had seen many battles. And his brown eyes whispered many tales of weariness as they stared down at Kairi.

Mew looked at the man for a while as the tip of his head rubbed up against the door frame. He was at least a few inches taller than him, causing Mew to think, _"Geez, what's the average height for Aurians around here?"_

But upon further inspection of the man's body, he couldn't help but notice a curious number of similarities to a certain statue he looked at only moments ago. The fact that Kairi was frozen up at the doorstep felt like just as much a confirmation of Mew's suspicions as anything else.

"_Gravi-"_

"Gabriel!"

Mew's assumptions would have to be put on the backburner as he heard the most unbelievable sound of them all; A genuine, heartfelt gasp of joy, coming from Kairi.

She quickly wrapped her arms around the burly man's waist and held on for just a moment. The man smiled and let himself in after she backed up. He stared down at the girl with a look of awe and playfully whispered in a deep, introspecting tone, "Why, just who is this pretty little lady greeting me at the door?"

Kairi planted her hands behind her back and wiggled her hips around, kicking one foot up and looking mite embarrassed as she stammered, "D-Don't say that Gabriel..."

"Hahah..." Gabriel chuckled and patted his hand atop Kairi's head. She stayed completely still with her face bright red as he rubbed her cap and remarked, "I turn my back for one second and you sprout up like a cornstalk."

"M-My sixteenth birthday was only a month ago..." She whispered.

Mew fluttered his eyelashes and rubbed his eyes wondering, _"Am I being pranked again?"_

Kairi's attitude performed a complete 180 the moment that man showed himself. She never even showed this level of respect towards her own mother. But it was interesting to watch, and it got Mew thinking, _鉄__o she CAN be happy. _

Gabriel's expression turned somber as he remarked "I know. I promise to make it up to you later" and patted her on the left shoulder.

He then raised his head towards Mew and with the kind of smile a father would tease their child with he remarked, "But for now, why don't you introduce me to your boyfriend?"

Kairi instantly glared at Mew, who reacted with a nervous chuckle. Kairi closed her eyes and remarked, "He's not my boyfriend. He's a freeloader that mom invited in."

"Oh, he is?" Gabriel's reaction was mix of disappointment and intrigue. His eyes locked onto Mew's face, where they remained for a good while.

"_He's looking at me funny." _Mew narrowed his eyes a bit to stare back.

In a few seconds the man stopped and said with a smile, "Well, if that is Lady Auris' decision..."

"Awww, not you too!" Kairi swung her fists down and pouted.

Gabriel softly gazed at her and remarked, "Forgive me Kairi, but I will always take your mother's side."

Kairi glanced sternly to the right and grumbled, "I-I know but..."

Mew got up, causing Kairi's eyes to slant more. He waved up casually at Gabriel and said, "I'm only here for the night...I think."

He then walked up and extended his hand to greet him, "My name's Mew. And your name is...Gabriel?"

Gabriel held his hands by his hips for a moment and looked Mew in the eyes some more. This time his stare was more vexing, as he appeared to be analyzing him like a robot would. Mew blinked a couple times and was perplexed as the man smiled, shook his hand, and remarked, "Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mew."

The man's handshake was slow, and felt a little insincere in spite of what he said. _"Could just be he's shy,"_ Was the first thing Mew thought, _"He does strike me as a big lovable oaf kinda guy."_

Kairi was fuming at Mew getting chummy with Gabriel. Mew didn't have to defuse this ticking time bomb though. Auris handily disarmed it by walking in and saying, "Gabriel, I didn't hear you come in."

She stood at the kitchen door un-plagued by steam and her apron removed. Gabriel had a soft, warm smile in her presence as she said, "We're about to have dinner. You're welcome to join us."

Gabriel rubbed his shaggy beard and let out a relaxed sigh, "I have greatly missed your cooking Lady Auris."

Unless he had dysfunctional taste buds Gabriel's high opinion was a good sign of what was to come of Auris' cooking chops. The four of them gathered in the kitchen, which was bigger than the living room, and sat at the four seat square table.

Mew's desire to detail the kitchen was swiftly overpowered by his meal's aroma and its pleasant presentation. The chicken had been cut into strips and cooked to a light brown tint. The stir-fried veggies were cupped in rice shaped like a bowl. All of this presented on a simple glass white plate.

Careful care was put into arranging who sat where. Since it was a square table, it was decided that Mew would sit across from Gabriel, and Kairi across from her mom. That way, Mew wouldn't be able to easily stare at Auris. Kairi wanted Mew on the floor, but both adults shot that idea down. On top of that, Kairi was forced to take her cap off.

Dinner started quietly enough despite the huge storm cloud of negativity Kairi projected. Mew wanted to eat quick to help that along, but everytime he took a bite he spent a long time salivating over the flavors melting on his tongue.

It was Gabriel who broke the silence by looking at Mew and asking, "So, what brings you to Sancturia?"

That was a pleasant but very telling question. Gabriel had already deduced he wasn't an Aurian. Mew paused with a fork in his mouth then pulled it out with a "Pop!" from his lips. He then waved it around and answered this rather harmless question with, "Auris called me up to help with something."

Being vague was fine in this case, as he didn't know the full extent of Gabriel's relation to Auris, or how much he knew about her. There was certainly a level of respect between them, but that could just come with the territory of being adults.

Gabriel put up a guise of casualness as he remarked in turn, "Its not every day a human is allowed entry into Sancturia. In fact I cannot remember a time at all when it happened."

His deductive observation was followed by him smiling and asking, "There must be something special Lady Auris sees in you, Mew."

It was Kairi who stepped in to answer. Starting with her usual "Hmph!" she stated, "He claims to be the Elemental Overlord, but he's just the Lord of Lechery!"

Gabriel tilted his head and chuckled, "Lord of Lechery?"

Mew giggled, prompting Kairi to growl at him, "What now?!"

Mew poked a piece of chicken on his fork and raised it before his face. He wiggled it around and said towards Gabriel, "She's right. I can't help myself."

He stared at the piece of chicken and licks his lips while moaning, "Not when I'm in the presence of such firm, _juicy_, breasts..."

Kairi crossed her arms before her chest and squealed, "Do you have no shame?!"

Gabriel held his arm out at Kairi and said "Stop it" then looked towards Mew to add, "Both of you."

With his fair and unbiased judgment on the table, the two bickering teens shut up and continued eating. Mew smiled and thought, _"Finally, a mediator."_

Mew heard Gabriel whisper "Elemental Overlord" whilst he took bites of food. After letting silence fall a bit Mew mustered the courage to ask, "Hey Gabriel what kinda job do you have?"

Gabriel paused then laid his fork down. Mew looked him in the eyes and projected a somewhat curious expression, "I mean...It sounds like you've been gone a while."

Gabriel rubbed his chin and said with a proud smile, "I am what you'd call a...space cop."

"Space cop?"

"Yes. As you can imagine, it takes me off world a lot. Sometimes for days or week at a time."

"Makes sense to me. Must feel good to come home though...Mr. Aurora." Mew nudged his brows up and down and watched as Kairi nearly choked on her food and Gabriel flinched.

Gabriel gently shook his head and kept his cool while mentioning, "Heavens no...I could never see Lady Auris that way."

Mew stiffened his brows upright and pondered aloud, "Soooooo you aren't Kairi's-"

Mew suddenly found a fork jammed between his left fingers on the table. The prongs were so close to his skin that his nerves felt a jolt. Kairi, his assailant, had stretched her arm across the table to stab that fork with the intent to harm.

She glared at Mew with her hand trembling on the fork. She asked him in a deep, growling tone, "What is wrong with you?"

Mew blinked a few times and said, "I'm just trying to have dinner..."

"You. Don't. Belong here!" Letting loose a throat throttling scream, Kairi now left a tense atmosphere hanging over the dinner table.

She pulled her hand away, pushed her plate forward, then got out of her seat and stomped out of the kitchen. Her footsteps remained loud up until she climbed the stairs and went to her room. When things quieted down Auris and Gabriel let out a long-winded sigh.

Mew rubbed the back of his head and remarked, "I can't do anything without her yelling at me..."

Gabriel mumbled under his breath "Ah, the tribulations and naivete of youth" only to change his tune when Mew poked his head up. He stood up and remarked with a shake of the head, "No its not just you."

He bowed his head at Auris and told her, "Forgive me Lady Auris, but I must leave early."

Auris nodded and said, "I understand. I'll let Kairi know you left."

"Thank you..." With a hint of melancholy in his voice Gabriel left for the front door. Along the way he gave Mew one last lingering glance. Thankfully, he had cleaned his plate down to the last microbe of food, so he didn't leave on a rude note.

A couple bites later and Mew had finished his own plate off. He offered to help Auris clean up but she just told him to wait for her in the living room. Thus he left the kitchen and sat down comfortably on the couch, listening in as Auris stuffs the plates into her dishwater.

Then a little while later she walked out and sat on the couch in front of Mew. She reached into her robe and pulled out a tiny white paper tube and a small device that made a flame when she clicked a switch on the back – which Mew identified as a cigarette and lighter respectively.

After lighting the cigar and putting it in her mouth she gave it a gentle puff. She then pulled it out and looked at Mew, who was giving her a blank stare. She smiled and leaned the singed cigar tip at the ground, remarking in a somewhat sultry voice, "Didn't take me for a smoker, did you?"

"No?" Mew said, unsure of his own answer.

Auris gently closed her eyes and sat up, shaking the dried tobacco off before remarking exactly what Mew was thinking, "Because I'm so beautiful?"

Mew closed his eyes and halfheartedly chuckled, "Maybe on the outside, but on the inside well...I'm still thinking about it."

"Perhaps the same be said for all living things?" Auris grinned and leaned back in her couch, letting loose a ring of smoke from her lips, "The capacity for good or evil, whether ugly or beautiful..."

She then pressed her lips into a smile and whispered, "So the saying goes...Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Mew tightly crossed his arms against his chest and thought aloud, "Well I'm not that into philosophy sooo..."

He leaned upright and wagged his hands at Auris, "Why don't we get down to business?"

Auris finished off her cigar and flicked the tiny bit of paper left off to the side. She then looked Mew straight in the eye and eased herself into the flow the conversation was taking, "I agree. Now that you've gotten to know Sancturia a little more, what do you think?"

Mew had a straight-as-an-arrow answer of, "You already know what happened, do I really need to tell you?"

Auris giggled and laid a hand upon her chest, "Clairvoyance is no replacement for a decent conversation. I want to hear the words straight from your mouth."

Mew raised his eyes and shifted them around a bit before saying, "I guess I do owe your people an apology. Aurians are a bit more magical than I expected."

He reflects upon his three fights so far as he thinks about what abilities he's seen, "Drives. Weapon manifestation and augmentation. Constructs. Shields. Aura has quite a bit of diversity to it."

"And I doubt that's everything." He said with a grin slowly forming, his excitement making him tremble at the knees.

"Indeed. You have a lot to learn. Today was just the tip of the iceberg." Auris said, enticing the boy's curiosity with a morsel of information.

"But our powers are just one aspect of who we are," She gave a wily all-knowing smile as she urged Mew to continue answering her, "Now, what about our society? What do you think of it?"

"Think?" Mew placed a finger up to his temple and tapped it a couple times while saying, "Its like I never left home. You've got malls, restaurants, jobs, and freakin' Abe Lincoln on every five dollar bill."

"Quite the shock, isn't it?" Auris teased.

"Understatement of the century lady..." Mew pulled his hands down and thought aloud, "But it gave me the vibe that it wasn't always like this?"

Auris leaned back into her couch and sighed. She then gave a rather swift compliment of "Astute observation" before getting to the thick of the matter, "I won't say that the way things are now is wrong. But there was something...better about those simpler times."

"Better?"

"We as a race are no weaker nor stronger than we were two-thousand years ago..." Auris flicked her fingers around to make trails of sparkling blue aura similar to comet trails...Only to squeeze it all in her hand and whisper, "But it feels like the magic's just...gone with the wind."

She took the dust of the aura into her palm and pushed it in Mew's direction with a puff of air. It tickled his face and left his eyelashes fluttering.

Auris then shook her right hand out beside her face and smiled, "It happens. Time moves on. Societies grow and evolve. The humble tribe folk lose their native way of life to the crawling march of man and machine...The hypnotizing thrall of religion loses to the bellowing voice of politics...The teachings of books are pushed aside for the convenience of technology...And yet, there is one thing that remains a constant throughout."

"Somebody has to rule." Mew grimly replies.

Auris dimly nodded her head and told him, "And under Gravitus' rule, Aurian society has become what he wanted it to be. A pale reflection of humanity...All the conveniences, none of the soul."

"But I don't get it. _Why_ would he want to copy how things are on Earth?"

"That's for you to find out, isn't it?" Auris teased with a smile.

Mew just shook his head at her and murmured, "Can't you tell me, just this once?"

"No." She retorted softly.

Mew rubbed the back of his head and wiggled his nose. He then laid his hand out by his chest and said, "I mean...You want me to succeed right?"

"Correct." She nodded.

"I know, I know, gotta learn on my own...but that shouldn't disqualify me from ALL answers right...?"

"Not at all. You just have to ask the right questions," Auris lifted her head and added, "Don't let anyone convince you that its wrong to ask a question."

Mew crossed his arms and decided to test his luck a bit since Auris made the offer, "Alright then fine. How about I start with this..."

He then gave a somewhat slacked smile as he rubbed the back of his head some more and groaned in one breath, "Canyoupleasetellmehowtodealwithyourdaughter?"

He got it out quick and then breathed in deeply to recuperate. Auris chuckled and brushed the back of her hand up near her mouth, slighting Mew with a bitter response of, "Seems your lack of social grace is backfiring spectacularly in your face, no?"

Mew couldn't tell what was worse, getting belittled by a beautiful woman or the fact she spent the brain power to make her insult rhyme. He opened his mouth and stumbled out "T-That's uncalled for...!" followed by "I-I mean sure but..." only to end on him widening his eyes and going, "Ok gimme a break here alright?!"

He swung his hands down at his hips and pleaded with Auris to take his side, even just a little, "I'm a total flop with women, so what? Newsflash Auris! Your daughter's a grouch with a capital 'G'."

He hung his head and caught his breath, the weight of what he was saying catching up in a snap. He then stared at Auris, shook his hands out and said meekly, "S-Sorry, that was out of line."

"...No, you're right," Auris planted her hands on her lap and got a little more serious in tone, "As a mother, it is my duty to take good care of my children until they're old enough to set out on their own. That includes teaching them kindness, and discipline."

"But there's only so much I can do for her right now..." She said with a melancholic whisper.

Mew crossed his arms up by his chest and tilted his head to say, "...Auris, what's _really_ going on here with your daughter?"

"That's not my place to say," She firmly said, "Even if that makes me less of a mother in her eyes for doing so."

She then starts to pull herself off the couch and walked on over to Mew. She gently laid two fingers on his chin to make him look her in the eyes, then told him quietly, "Just keep an eye on her for me. I believe you'll figure it all out on your own eventually."

She then flicked her fingers off in such a way as to bump the tip of his nose, then prodded his forehead with her fingertips. With a smile as bright as her skin she turned away and made her way for the stairs. But as Mew saw her off, he had but one question left.

"...Was there any way to keep her from following me into the temple?" It wasn't a voice that came out sounding annoyed, but rather concerned.

Auris gleamed at him from over her shoulder and asked him a question in turn, "That depends. Do you believe in destiny, Mew?"

"...Not really." Mew gave a short but courteous reply, to which Auris whispered "Interesting" and then started to make her way for the stairs.

"By the way, feel free to sleep on the couch." She said as her legs disappeared behind the second floor.

Mew sighed and plopped flat along the width of the couch. He leaned his head up on one end, and his feet propped up on the other. He stared at the ceiling as the lights suddenly clicked off. There was still a bit of dim lighting coming from outside, but otherwise he was resting alone in the dark.

For the next couple of hours Mew sat around trying to fall asleep, only to be bothered by everything he'd seen so far in Sancturia. What he thought required no repeating, and apparently no resolutions either. He kept spinning through the same questions in his head but wasn't any closer to any answers than he was a while ago.

"_Guess I'll just have to trust what she said and figure it out on my own..."_

He wrapped one of the spikes of his hairs around a finger and twirled it around to try and pass the time. Then he heard a "Thump!" coming from outside. It wasn't a very loud "Thump!" more like the kind of "Thump!" someone made when they were actively avoiding being heard.

"_Someone outside?" _Mew thought at first as he leaned his head up and saw a figure sneaking by past the window. He narrowed his eyes and went "Hmmm" before going to the assumption of, "A_ctually...it sounds like they fell down from somewhere."_

He eyed the ceiling and murmured, "Like perhaps...the second floor of this house?"

There were two guesses who was stirring, and it wasn't a mouse. Mew slowly creaked himself off the couch and felt a slight twinge in his back. He shrugged his shoulders and grumbled, "My bed this ain't..."

He then glided along the ground to avoid making a sound and slipped out the front door. The person hadn't gone far and thus Mew could keep up by hiding behind the nearby houses.

He looked up at the skyline and noticed that the atmosphere had changed to a night sky with stars shining bright. He chalked it up to being the work of something deep within the city, as up in the Arctic the sun would never set this time of year.

But that was the least of his questions to be solved right now. He glided from house to house, peeking out from behind cover to make sure he was following in the right directions. The shroud of night would've provided perfect cover to his target's identity had it not been so blatantly obvious that it was Kairi.

"_Now where do you think you're going?" _Mew cracked a smile and kept the escapade up for a few more minutes until finally Kairi arrived in front of the Gravitus statue.

"_Oh, of course." _Mew leaned up against the side of the closest house, becoming one with the shadows. After evading Kairi's paranoid glances he poked his head out and watched her go to work.

She pulled out a can of spray paint from her back pocket and gave it a good shake. He poised it up at the left leg and laid a finger at the top. Mew watched her spray the word "Bastard" in bright red paint, capitalizing both the "B" and the "D".

She then put the can back in her pocket and whispered, "You'll get what's coming to you...Just you wait. I'll make you pay for everything you took away from me..."

Mew's splendid hearing clued him in on everything said, but before he could even build a thought around those words someone whispered in his ear, "Don't move."

Mew flinched and froze up on the spot. The edge of a blade, a katana judging by how thin it was, was a hair's breadth from his neck. Mew knew if he even breathed the blade would cut him.

"_What the heck? I didn't even sense it..."_

The assailant made their point swift and concise, but the deepness of their voice gave away exactly who they were, "Tomorrow morning. The fourth floor of the Pyramid. Come alone. We will settle everything there."

The blade was withdrawn from Mew's neck and sheathed without making a sound. Mew immediately turned his head to the left and didn't see the "Mysterious" person even in the shadows. But he knew they were within earshot. He crossed his arms against his chest and started to smile. He was trembling with excitement.

"I'm looking forward to it Gabriel..." Mew's head rose as he smile turned to a knowing smirk, "Planetary Aurian of Earth."

With something to look forward to in the morning, Mew took a moment to realize that Kairi was still close by. He peeked over his shoulder and saw that she had disappeared.

"_Ah crap!" _He winced and made haste back to the Aurora household undetected. He quickly put himself back on the couch and laid down, pretending to close his eyes as Kairi snuck in through the front door.

But instead of going for the stairs Mew heard her getting closer. Her childish giggle was overpowered by the sounds of her shaking a spray can mere inches from his face.

Mew almost broke the facade ruffling his mouth and thinking, "O_h come on, really?"_

Kairi stood there silently for a tense few seconds. Then she pulled the spray can back and let out one long sigh. Once she was heard walking up the staircase, Mew relieved himself with a big long sigh of his own.

"_Where does she get it from...?"_

Mew stared up at the ceiling some more and extended his hand towards it. Reflecting on what Gabriel said, he recognized the hostility in his voice as somewhat disconcerting, especially given his role as both Planetary Aurian...And someone Kairi looked up to.

"...You got a lot to explain tomorrow Gabriel..." Mew squeezed his hand into a fist and quietly declared, "And I'll get those answers even if I have to beat 'em out of you."

A long, long night of sleep thus began for the young Overlord, who closed his eyes and let himself slowly drift into slumber...

_Next Time: The Gatekeeper_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Oath**

At the crack of dawn, no sooner nor later than 8 o'clock, Mew woke up with eyes wide open. He lifted his head off the couch and had a stiff feeling in his neck. While rubbing it he grumbled, "Yep. My bed...this ain't."

He peeked over the couch and saw Auris hard at work in the kitchen. Her back was turned as she cheerfully sounded off a "Good morning" to Mew.

"Good morning...?" It was an odd feeling to say that for once starting the morning. Usually he greeted a machine, not another living being. He finished rubbing the back of his head and shook off that last bit of morning aching in his bones.

After some quick arm stretches to get his blood pumping he sat up and turned away from the couch. Grease started sizzling on a pan, crackling with the sounds of God's greatest gift to mankind – plump, fatty, bacon.

She asked pleasantly "Do you want some breakfast?" but Mew knew it was a facade of normalcy. She was well-aware of what was to transpire this morning. The least she could do is try not to indicate to Kairi that Mew was bailing out early.

So Mew stood up and with half-a-smile remarked, "I think I'll pass."

But she was a fighter, insisting in a firm, motherly tone, "Are you sure? Today's a big day."

"_You're making it sound like I'm starting school..." _Mew heard the bacon grease sizzling from Auris flipping it in the pan. He bit his teeth and widened a fighting scowl as he turned to the kitchen. Temptations were high, but Mew lashed his arms back and pulled his head away.

"I...can't!" His resilience would not yield to such sinful thoughts of fried pig skins sitting beside a bed of fluffy scrambled eggs. He slowly picked up the pace for the door, where Auris played her last card.

"I even whipped up some strawberry lemon-ade~"

Mew squirmed with one hand biting on the door. He pulled the cloth aside and then fought tooth and nail to say, "I-I'll take a rain check on that!"

He then hurried out the door. He felt safe knowing Kairi hadn't gotten up yet. But little did he know was that she was up, and watching. She poked her head down around the corner of the second floor, then rushed to the door after Mew.

Mew made his way back to the Pyramid and denied any distractions along the way. The skyline had returned to normal and natural daylight settled in. The streets were busy, but Mew easily made a beeline for his destination. From there he climbed the stairs straight up the fourth floor, grateful that the portals stayed out of his way.

This floor was much different than the last three, as there was no need for a portal this go around. Instead a sea of luscious green grass laid beneath a canopy of bright pink petals. An exuberant amount of cherry blossom trees stood in his way, and not a single one showed its age. Timeless like the sky, the bark on the tree trunks acted as pillars against the ceiling.

It was a lovely sight that Mew knew would be spoiled by the spilling of blood. Both his...and Gabriel's.

"...Well, here goes nothing." Mew took a deep breath and made his way into the garden. There was a silent breeze loosening the petals free. Mew reached up, took a petal in hand, and kept walking. He looked at the petal for a few seconds before it fluttered off, carried by a stronger breeze.

Mew curled his fist and looked up. Sitting on the ground in a criss-cross pose was a big green-skinned man. He wore dirt brown samurai armor on his upper body, with plates covering his shoulders and biceps. He had no gloves. He had no socks. The only protection for his feet came in the form of sandals and the bottom lip of his pants.

And nailed to his left hip was a worn down metal sheath, a hilt made of silver sticking out from the end. The contents of his skin may have changed, but his choice of clothes gave away the obvious.

"You arrived on time." Gabriel remarked, sounding surprised.

Mew looked at the man sitting twenty feet away and couldn't help but joke, "Y'know if you showed up to dinner looking like that we could have cut to the chase."

He then grinned and formerly referred to Gabriel as, "Aurian Earth."

Gabriel slowly opened his eyes and stood up. He quietly responded to Mew's formalities with some of his own, "I am the one left ashamed...Elemental Overlord."

He turned his body to leave his sheath out of view, planting one hand upon it. He then bowed slightly and admitted, "I should have known it was you. You are his splitting image."

"Lets say we suck at first impressions and leave it at that?" Mew said while swinging his arms out and balancing on one foot. He then put his foot down and jabbed a pointer finger at Gabriel, "What I wanna know is why the secrecy? What kinda pitch did Gravitus sell to get you on his side?"

Gabriel slanted his eyes and glided his hand to the hilt of his blade. He discarded politeness for a firm spoken warning of, "I am going to give you one chance to turn back and leave Sancturia."

"That a threat?" Mew scoffed at his answers being denied again and then said, "No can do. I already told Auris that I'd handle Gravitus."

He then grinned and growled, "And don't ignore my questions. Do you think that's fair to the princess?"

"You are the Elemental Overlord in name and face only. Your disposition is more akin to a clown's..." Gabriel leaned his head out and spat bitterly in Mew's face, "You are owed none of my respect."

"That's a bummer. Cause she could really use those answers..." Mew nudged his head back and raised his voice, "Right princess?!"

Gabriel froze and lifted his head slightly. Mew then looked back and saw Kairi standing there. He addressed her in a joking manner, "I told you to work on your stealth..."

Her pupils had shrunken as she reached one hand out and mumbled, "G-Gabriel...What...What's going on here? Why are you..."

The trembles of her voice revealed a whirlwind of emotions from confusion to betrayal. She pulled her hand back to her chest and all her emotions culminated in a whimper of, "You're...working for Gravitus."

Gabriel flinched then swiftly closed his eyes to whisper, "You've left me no choice..." as he drew his blade from the sheath. He held it in both hands before his waist and Mew turned to look at it.

Like he guessed from last night's encounter it was a katana. The blade was comprised of a bronze-copper mix that only had a couple chips to its name. Mew could even feel the lingering spirit of thousands of lives coming off the blade.

With a steeled gaze sharp as his blade Gabriel proclaimed, "I invoke the Rite of Singularity!"

Mew suddenly felt a prick in his chest close to his heart. Like a thorn had struck it. Gabriel outsped Mew's inquiring tongue by stating, "So long as the rite stands none shall interfere in our duel, lest they wish to lose their life."

He then narrowed his eyes and stated, "Now draw your sword and face me, intruder."

Mew girded his knees and twisted his body sideways, his eyes locked onto Gabriel. He raised one hand in a halfway gripped manner and placed the other by his chest. He then grinned and told hie foe, "If that's the way you want it then fine. Bring it on."

"Stop it! T-This is ridiculous!" Kairi exclaimed to both parties.

Mew's head didn't budge as he stated, "Its about to get ugly princess. You really out to skedaddle."

"But-!"

"Come on, have a little faith for once," He turned his head back and with a smile assured her, "I'll meet you on the other side. Promise!"

Kairi was too messed up emotionally to respond and thus gave a nod and rushed past the two warriors. Mew let out a sigh of relief and then looked back at Gabriel, who sternly told him, "You are making a terrible mistake."

"At least I'm being honest. What's your excuse Liar McPantsonfire?"

"Enough. If you do not come at me with the full might of your resolve, then this garden shall serve as your grave."

"Tempting..." Mew smiled cockily, "But I got a reservation at Father Time's place and he gets reeeal mad when someone else takes his customers."

"Then you'll have lived and died a fool." Gabriel twisted his grip and pointed the tip of his blade at Mew's face.

"That's a lot of shit-talk for a samurai...But I can tell you can back it up." Mew keeps his posture up and starts to walk clockwise. Gabriel follows his movements and they remain on even ground.

"And you aren't worthy to back up the title you've been erroneously given."

"...We'll see about that." Mew snapped his fingers at his chest. The branches behind Gabriel's head broke and flew straight for him.

He grimaced and pulled his blade behind him, solely held in one hand. The branches laid suspended in the air and then become splintered down to the size of toothpicks. All this, without him even looking.

Mew barreled at Gabriel with one foot forward and the samurai stabbed his blade out to meet him. The heel of Mew's shoe connected with the blade's tip and his body was pushed back. Gabriel used one hand to hold the katana, the other was laid to rest by his hip.

In this cumbersome position Mew grinned and thought, _"Alright Mew...showtime!"_

**Vs. The Last Guardian: Aurian Earth!**

Gabriel leveraged the force of Mew's kick against him and flipped him back. Mew responded in kind with a fireball towards his face. The tip of the blade was all Gabriel needed to cut it down. Mew scoffed, landed on his hands, then used them to vault straight up through the cherry blossoms.

He stuck his feet to the ceiling and weighed his options against the pressure of his blood rushing to his head.

"_Gotta take him by surprise..." _Mew surveyed the blanket of cherry blossoms separating him and Gabriel and sighed, _"Not a fan of the silent approach but..."_

He held his hands down and launched a few balls of compressed air to hide amongst the trees. He then dove back into battle right as he started to feel dizzy.

Gabriel gently stabbed his blade at Mew's head, but with a quick response Mew jettisoned a flame from his palm to launch back. As he turned to land he looked at the katana and spec'd it out, _"I can't feel it coming. Just what's it made of, air?"_

Upon landing Mew bounced on one alternating foot at a time and made some quick breaths. Gabriel didn't make a move, his blade remaining centered at his waist. Mew gave his head a quick twist right then said with a smile, "Won't know unless I get close..."

Once both feet were on the ground he sped straight into the face of danger. He got goosebumps riding on his arms as he swung his right fist at Gabriel's face. The samurai moved his katana to push the fist aside, and found he had a clean swing at Mew's face.

He swung down without a moment's notice and Mew pulled out just as fast. He got by with only a nick on the front of his nose.

"_Shit that was close!"_ Mew's heart started racing as he found himself breathing funny, _"That's weird...That cut practically missed."_

"Your fist shall never reach me. Draw your sword." Gabriel warned, somehow sounding humble as he boasted.

Mew turned sideways and hid a hand behind his hip. With a firm, cocky "Nah" he squeezed his hand. The air he left behind earlier hardened into blunt bullets that shoot down at Gabriel from his surroundings. He winced in surprise for a moment but then seemed to accept his fate.

The sudden collision of all that wind kicked up a bit of dust around the samurai. Mew knew it wouldn't finish him, _"But it oughta dent his armor a bit."_

But as the dust settled there was no change to his armor nor posture. He hadn't even moved to cut the air.

"_No one could react fast enough to hit those point-blank..." _Mew gleamed at Gabriel's body and saw a mint-green aura flicker off of it. His eyelids sank as he grumbled, "Oh that's it...His Drive must've done it."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes and remarked, "The power of my Nature Drive nullifies all of your elements. Even-"

Mew swung his hands out and pulled his head away while yelling "Whoa whoa whoa!" to drown him out. He then made a point to tell him, "Don't tell me how your powers work! Figuring them out's part of the fun!"

Gabriel stared wide-eyed and let out a flaccid "What?" before his sense of reason returned to make him say, "I only say this in the dim hope that you will cease these senseless games."

"Well don't get your hopes up," Mew flashed a sly little grin, "I got many tricks up my sleeves, in my pockets, under my hat, go on, take your pick!"

Gabriel closed his eyes and sighed, "Is it pride or arrogance where this attitude stems from?"

"A little of both." Mew dismissively reposed.

"Then if you will not draw your sword..." Gabriel put his katana back in the sheath. He held his feet in a wide berth and leaned forward ever slightly.

"Perish by mine." He quickly drew and sheathed the katana in the blink of an eye.

Mew felt the space around him become distorted and with his teeth grit he slid to the right before dozens of cuts filled the space where he stood. Gabriel repeated this twice, putting the distortions closer to the trees to force Mew to go forward. Around the fourth distortion Mew leaped for the nearest tree and kicked off it hoping to get Gabriel by surprise.

The samurai brought out his blade in one hand and blocked Mew's electrified punch. Mew sent electricity into the blade to try and magnetize it but there was no reaction.

"Shoot!" Mew's gambit left him in a tight spot. He had to keep his knuckles on the harrowing edge of the blade and use it to vault over the man.

Mew held his arms outs and twirled twice. From them he first send out hot water and then tried bullet seeds. Neither of which could bypass the man's aura.

He flipped 'til his feet were downward and landed right as Gabriel pivoted around to attack. Mew pinched down on the dull edges of the blade and he almost felt like his elbow would smash into his shoulder.

"_Jesus!"_ Mew found his body slanting back as he tired to dig his feet into the ground.

Gabriel slowly positioned his whole body forward, adding to his strength. The blade started sliding between Mew's fingers, aided by his sweat.

"_He swings this thing like a feather...!" _The blade was close enough to Mew's palm that he felt like he had been cut.

"_That can cut diamond!" _Mew widened his eyes and in a panic lit his right fist on fire and punched it towards Gabriel's face. His stern glare made him particularly vulnerable to the crispy embers, and he had to flutter his eyes to dull the seething pain that came with it.

Mew pulled away and a lightbulb went off in his head, _"Of course! Fire! Mother Nature's mortal enemy!"_

He wasn't out of danger yet. Even temporarily blinded Gabriel slid forward after him to swing his sword at Mew. Mew had to trust in his eyes to predict the blade's path as his other senses failed him. Gabriel swung down at Mew's arms and chest, and shocked him by cutting him once underneath the right shoulder despite his best efforts to dodge.

Mew held his ground for a second and skid the grass with his foot like a match to a matchbox. The blades of grass ignited into a ring of fire around Gabriel, forcing him to stop in place. Mew then hopped a couple feet back and started to pant. Nice and slowly his breath went in and out.

"_A lot of those attacks missed...So why do I feel weaker?"_ Mew positioned one hand before his face and watched as one stroke of Gabriel's blade put out the flames before him.

"Heh...!" Mew grit his teeth into a smirk and commented, "Your sword's got a nice trick to it!"

Gabriel raised his katana before his chest and said, "Meiyo has been at my side for a long time. We fight as one, and she has been loyal all throughout."

"**She** has a name?" Mew said, pressing his lips in a desperate attempt not to bust a gut laughing.

"Of course," Gabriel remarked without a hint of shame, "A weapon kills. A tool gives aid. But a partner? A partner is an extension of who you are."

He then pointed his katana at Mew and said, "And to me, your refusal to draw your sword is an admission of shame towards it. It is not a part of you. It is merely your tool."

Mew stood his ground and barked back to his foe, "What can I say, we got a complicated relationship."

"Really? Do you even know your sword's name?" Gabriel asked, his words piercing deeper than his blade ever could.

"W-Well...!" Mew bit his teeth down.

"Of course you don't..." Gabriel sheathed his sword and crossed his arms, "You are merely a shadow of your predecessor, after all."

He then raised his brows and murmured, "And perhaps even that is too much praise."

Mew felt a terrible sensation well up in his gut. He lowered his hand to his chest and closed it into a fist. Then he looked at the samurai and wondered, "So much for you being a Jolly Green Giant. Or is being an asshole just as much of an act?"

"What I am...is not for you to know."

"And the same goes for the princess too huh?"

"Hrmm..." Gabriel's groan signaled to Mew that he had struck a nerve, especially as he reached for his katana and remarked, "So the saying goes...Talk is cheap."

"...Yeah you're right," Mew pounded his fist into an open palm and a wave of heat swept over the garden as his body was surrounded in fire, "I don't care what you're keeping a secret! I'm gonna kick your ass and beat some answers out of you!"

Gabriel takes the same stance he did when he performed those distortions and remarks, "You are welcome to try."

He unsheathes and sheathes his blade to cut the space around where Mew stood. Mew stepped ten feet to the left in a flash and thrust his right fist out to send a blast of fire towards the samurai. He cut the flames in the midst of sheathing his sword for another distortion.

Mew stepped left twice and punched between each movement. He kept moving backwards a few inches at a time while telling himself "Keep your distance" and studying the swing of Gabriel's blade for openings.

Gabriel continued to cut the flames going at him without losing ground. When his distortions seemed insufficient he raised his body up and took his katana in one hand. He gently swung it up and down, pushing the flames away with a powerful, silent gale.

The heat of the flames surrounded him, reflecting scarcely off his armor and eyes. He held his katana backwards and motioned it towards the sheath. But as he pushed the blade in the all the air from there to Mew was sucked towards his sheath.

Mew was dragged straight towards Gabriel whether he wanted to or not. The samurai widened his eyes as the blade locked into place, then declared with triumphant resolve, "Vacuum Slice!"

He ripped the katana free from sheath, the pressure swelling up inside allowing him to cut with incredible force. Mew grit his teeth, pointed the left side of his body towards the man, then raised his hand and summoned his sword to block the slash.

Mew's shoulder rammed into the back of his sword but he was perfectly safe from Gabriel's attack. The katana was locked into place for a moment as the samurai made his sole compliment thus far "Finally." Short sweet and to the point.

Mew clenched his teeth and watched as Gabriel slid his katana down the blunt edge of his blade, igniting tons of sparks that culminated in his blade being set on fire.

"Virtuous Sweep!" He declared as he grazed the bottom of Mew's blade, pushing the whole thing up, then in the same fell stroke swung his blade down towards Mew's legs.

Mew bounced up and with some quick thinking let go of his sword and planted his feet against the blunt edge. He propelled off it and in doing so caused the sword to bludgeon Gabriel's face.

Mew then dispelled the sword and kicked his feet back, summoning the sword to use as support for them. While Gabriel remained dazed he rocketed down and smashed him right across the right cheek with a bare-knuckled punch.

He twisted back and landed on the ground as the mighty samurai staggered. Yet what appeared to be a prime chance to attack him some more proved to be a ruse. When Mew threw out another punch over his head Gabriel held his sword tightly in one hand and sliced upward, using the momentum Mew had delivered right into the palm of his hand to up the attack's lethality.

He firmly planted his feet down and successfully deflected Mew's punch with the swing. But he failed to draw blood, and that minimalist level of pain would never deter one of Mew's stature.

The boy grit his teeth and lunged forward body and all in an attempt to strike Gabriel across the chest with his fist. Gabriel slashed his sword diagonally down and Mew pivoted to the left, avoiding his foe entirely. He let out a gasp as the tip of the blade sliced a few hairs of his head, with a nick of blood emerging underneath a moment later.

Mew spun around and wiped the trickle of blood on two of his fingertips, then shook it off and set himself on fire once more. Gabriel turned around and sliced down towards his head, predicting Mew's leap back to then take a slash towards his legs.

Mew drew his sword to block, but this too was within Gabriel's calculations. Putting his masterful swordsmanship to work he leaned forward ever slightly and swung his blade left and right in quick succession. The swing of his blade seemed to curve in defiance of the laws of physics and got around Mew's defense, cutting him along the top of his shoulders.

All three slashes were performed in the span of a second, and the combined force of them all blew Mew back ten feet. He skid along the ground a few feet more upon landing and stabbed his blade into the ground. He grabbed the handle in both hands and dragged the blade's tip along the ground, building up energy for a grounded projectile.

The wave of energy tunneled along the floor with the speed and force of a locomotive. Unfazed as normal, Gabriel stood up and raised his sword level with his chest. A circular seal with a four-pointed inner circle and kanji symbol for "Cherry Blossoms" in the center appeared before Gabriel's entire body.

"Empty Spring Form..." Were the three dreaded words that sent a chill down Mew's spine.

All the boy could do was raised his brows and utter a "What?!" with genuine surprise as his energy wave hit the seal and time came to a complete stand-still. Gabriel sheathed his sword and leaned back, wagering all of his strength on one decisive strike.

Closing his eyes he lunged forward in an instant and drew his blade up above his right shoulder, a trail of cherry blossom petals appearing in his wake. With a simple utterance of "Fragrant Riposte" time resumed and the residual force of the slash cleaved down the center of Mew's chest, causing blood to spurt out onto the ground.

Mew swiftly dropped to his knees and dispelled his sword, whereas Gabriel couldn't even bring himself to pause. He turned back around and raised his sword over his head in both hands. With a stone-cold look in his eyes he plunged the blade straight for Mew's back.

The boy suddenly turned back and swung his blood drenched right hand up to grab Gabriel's wrists, diverting the blade's path to right in front of his face. Mew's pupils had shrunken and his eyes were as wide as they could be. But he was grinning from cheek-to-cheek and beaming with joy in spite of having to hold one hand on his chest to cauterize the wound in fire.

"Geez, you're a scary one...Where the hell'd you learn that move?" A pleasant question suggested he was trying to push the fear of death away, but that was the furthest from the truth. In Mew's expression rested a look of utter excitement, and a fire in his heart that refused to be put out.

He pressed his knees against the ground and stood right back up, throwing Gabriel's arms out of his grip. The samurai widened his eyes and Mew took full advantage of that to punch him square in the chest. Gabriel was blown back into the nearest tree, splintering the bark at the middle.

Mew then shook his arms down and spit some blood out of the right of his mouth. He then looked down at his shirt and grumbled, "Great, this was my favorite one."

Gabriel pulled himself off the tree and took in a deep breath. He positioned his katana before his waist and then lunged forward, appearing before Mew right as he finished blinking. The samurai swung downward at his chest, hoping to reopen the wound. Mew bounced back and flung a couple fireballs at Gabriel's face.

Both of them were cut by him swerving his blade, then he sheathed the sword and sliced it back out twice, this time compressing his aura into a crescent wave projectile. Mew batted the projectiles aside with the back of his hands, putting him in a leaning forward position.

He raised his head with a red glint in his eyes from the fire now burning off his palms. He cupped both palms together at his right and the flames grew to be the size of his head. He hopped away to avoid a few more of Gabriel's projectiles, making sure to keep his sight centered on the samurai's body.

"You're not the only one who names his moves!" Mew boasted as he thrust his hands out before his chest and unleashed a terrifyingly large beam of fire that he liked to call the "Flame Cannon!"

Gabriel holds his katana a little above his shoulder and thrusts the tip of the blade at the cusp of the beam. The beam's impact makes him lose a little ground but he quickly calls out a technique named "Windmill Reversal!" and uses his blade to guide the flames in a circle around him.

He spins his body around, preventing a single flame from interrupting his carousel dance. His reversal goes by smoothly, sending the flames back at Mew. Mew smirked and saw an opportunity for a little fun.

He leaped atop the flames and grinded along them like a rail in a skate park. He used this to close the gap to Gabriel and then through his sword swing some of those lingering flames up at the samurai's face.

Gabriel learned his lesson and closed his eyes to shun the flames. And from there Mew dove down and started bombarding him with a flurry of spinning kicks. He kicked at him so fast that his feet were set ablaze, adding to the force of his strikes.

But even with his eyes closed Gabriel grazed his blade through the air and deflected every kick from coming within an inch of his body. After Mew had to force a landing on the ground the samurai stabbed straight for his head, missing only by an inch as the boy leaped back.

Mew paused for a second and caught his breath, which was starting to hasten like he was getting exhausted, _"I think I get it now...His blade's cutting away at my energy, tiring me out."_

"_He's going to win a battle of attrition at this rate..." _Mew clenched his fists and took a second to scan Gabriel's body. Barely a dent to his armor, and little damage to his skin. But there was something curious about the way his armor was presented. Some of Mew's own blood had gotten on it.

He raised his brows and murmured "That's curious..." and from there he perked his eyes up and with a smile chuckled.

"_Oh. That's a __**dangerous**__ idea...I like it!" _

Gabriel positioned his blade at his waist and projected his thoughts through his body. His stalwart stance had no openings. His iron gaze surveyed all. The firm grip of his blade was readied to perform a plethora of techniques.

But no one is invincible. Mew clenched his fists against his hips, and bent down slightly. His heart was racing, the sweat on his brows dripping upon the delicate grass as he leaned towards Gabriel with a fearless grin.

"Lets go..." He whispered as he lunged himself straight as an arrow and thrust his fist at Gabriel's chest. The samurai expected an easy deflection with his blade, but what he got instead was something far more harrowing.

Mew took a cut to his knuckles and grit his teeth to endure the pain. He then pulled both his fists back and let out a huge roar as he thrust them out...dozens of times per second.

Gabriel grunted and swung his blade around to deflect many of those punches, but to expect his thinly blade to endure such an assault was foolhearted on his end. He reduced his strength to increase the speed of his swings, but this was playing right into Mew's crazy plan.

Mew threw his punches out at blistering speeds, leaving only his body visible behind them. And yet Gabriel kept up with each punch thrown. His blade connected with his knuckles and drew trickles of blood from them, some of which splashed down upon his armor.

A clash of equal strength, equal wills. This is a moment where Mew truly felt alive. The indescribable rush of adrenaline overcame his sense of reason, forcing him to take a step back in his head and tell himself, _"No focus! Keep him fighting on your terms!"_

He bit his lower lip to remind himself a little of what pain was like, then started to throw a bit of electricity into his punches to trigger Gabriel's Drive. At this close a range Mew was able to mark down in his head the increment of _"One inch" _and then finally ended this clash by jumping back.

The resounding sounds of their clash spread like wildfire across the canopy, dislodging many cherry blossom petals to fall upon the ground. Their slowed descent serving only to exemplify how fast the two's engagement was proceeding.

Mew stomped the ground with both his feet and caused the ground to erupt around his feet, kicking up a ton of dirt in the process. Mew grabs at those bits of dirt and starts shoving them in the wounds on his hands. He bites his teeth down and hisses in his head, _"Hooo this better work..."_

He rockets right out of the dirt cloud and takes Gabriel by surprise by punching both his fists straight at his face. Gabriel widens his eyes and slashes his sword up gracefully to cut across both fists at once. Mew retreats right as he feels the blade connect, preventing permanent damage to his nerves.

But his blood spills out enough to splash the remaining parts of Gabriel's armor that had gone unstained. Mew lands on the ground and then pinches a couple fingers up before his face. Cracking a wide smirk he yells "Gotcha!" and snaps his fingers.

Gabriel's all but ready to swing his blade when he and Mew hear a boiling sound coming from his chest. Gabriel looks down and watches as large holes are burned away in his armor.

"W-What?" He holds his ground and puts on a facade of being calm, but the stuttering of his voice gave away the truth of his surprise.

Mew clapped his hands dry of blood and then crossed them before his chest. He then closed his eyes and said, "Even if your Drive can block out the elements I use, it looks like you have to activate its power with your mind."

Mew then tapped the side of his head with one finger and with a smug grin said, "You're a powerful warrior, but I bet you never took up biology in Aurian school. Cause if ya did, you'd know that blood is mostly made up of a water!"

He then brandished his finger at Gabriel's armor which has almost fully degraded down to the gi he was seen wearing last night. He then put the piece de resistance on his master plan by loudly stating, "And once I slipped my blood past your defenses all I had to do was snap my fingers and turn it into acid!"

Gabriel, now devoid of his chest armor, positioned his katana squarely in front of his chest and remarked, "I will admit you surprised me with that move..."

His gaze steeled towards Mew's location as he remarked with certainty, "But you cannot beat me with tricks."

"Oh right I forgot to mention!" Mew snapped his fingers again up by his face. Gabriel looked down, feeling a tingling across his chest coming from bits of dirt Mew had mixed in with his blood. In a moment's notice the dirt transformed into seeds that sprouted into a series of one-inch thick, constricting vines.

The vines swarmed all of Gabriel's body down to his feet, restraining his arms and planting him firmly in the ground. Mew then cracked a smirk and remarked, "I also put dirt in my blood. Totally painful, but totally worth it!"

Mew flinched and realized he didn't have much time. Gabriel's rippling biceps weren't just for show, he'd surely break free if given the chance. So Mew rushed in and started roundhouse kicking Gabriel repeatedly in the chest, winding the man and diminishing the strength he'd have available to him.

The kicks build up speed and his feet return to being on fire. By that point he's deliberately burning down the vines to get some more damage onto Gabriel's skin. But by freeing his arms he allowed the samurai to take his katana and swing it straight down at Mew's body.

Mew, twisting his legs together, plants his feet upon Gabriel's gut and springs right off him. He tumbles along the ground but quickly rises to his feet, leaning down like a predator ready to lunge at his prey.

The samurai's clothing is charred but his stature remains tall and resolute. Yet his breathing is heavy, and his hands tremble to hold onto his blade.

Mew too is suffering the consequences from this heated battle. Pushing his body to move at such high speeds caused part of his chest wound to reopen, with an aching pain bolting straight out from where his heart is. He lays a hand flat on his chest and cauterizes the wound once more, but losing just a bit more of his blood caused his vision to fog up a bit.

Gabriel brought his blade to his waist and closed his eyes. At that moment everything in the room just felt like it was still. The wind moved across the grass and trees but didn't make a sound. The breaths of the two warriors became deaf to their own ears. And even Mew, so rampant in his thoughts, didn't utter a word in his mind as he caught his breath, stood upright, and drew his blade in both hands.

He held it in a similar position as his foe. Not out of mockery, but respect. The man clad in resolution and valor opened his eyes as his blade was filled with the soothing glow of his own aura, and then propositioned to his opponent, "One final stroke...to decide it all."

Mew silently nodded his head and smirked, raising the flames of his soul to surround his meaty blade and pointing it straight at Gabriel.

"One last battle it is then..." He whispered.

The two met eye-to-eye as the petals descended around them. They budged their left foot forward, and silently charged towards one another. Their steel wills clashed in a flash of black and white that filled the space they occupied, ending with the two opposite of where they started.

Their blades were held out in the same pose, almost as if they hadn't moved at all. But then blood spurted from a wound in Gabriel's chest, and the warrior dropped to his knees. He planted his sword in the ground beside him, using his left arm to shield it from the blood he spilled in shame.

Mew quietly swung his sword over his head, placed it behind his back, then let it vanish into the ether. He then turned back around and remarked, "I only cut deep enough to incapacitate you. It ain't my style to kill men of honor."

Gabriel weakly cracked a grin and gasped out a response of, "Nor does it seem to be in your interest to give me your all..."

He tilted his head over his shoulder and remarked, "I felt it in our final clash...That familiar, monstrous power you hide deep inside you...I-I never stood a chance."

Mew turned around, ruffled his lips, and then rubbed the back of his head and sighed, "Maaaaan...I reeeeeally don't want to hear that from the guy who held back too."

He wagged a finger at Gabriel and accosted him in an almost bitter fashion, "That was only half of your power. What the hell is that about?!"

Gabriel had a forlorn expression as he turned his head away, with Mew not holding back in his accusations, "You want me dead but you hold back. You treat the princess with respect but lied to her face."

Mew gets right to the bottom of his frustrations by growling at the top of his lungs, "What is your deal?!"

And yet, no answer came. To the very end it seemed that the resolute warrior would keep his answers buried inside of his heart and let not a single word escape. Mew just clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and with a peeved gleam in his eyes muttered, "Fine then..."

He turned around, threw his right arm up by his face, then remarked in a jovial tone, "The princess and I got places to be, tyrants to dethrone..."

But when he put one foot forward, Gabriel wrenched his head back and suddenly raised his voice to say, "You are making a big mistake! To further involve yourself means endangering us all!"

Mew dug his foot into the ground, looked over his shoulder, and said confidently, "Danger's part of the job for me. I think our battle should've made that obvious."

As he turned his head back around Gabriel punched his blood-drenched fist on the ground and exclaimed, "If Lady Kairi is brought to Gravitus it'll be the end of everything!"

Mew froze up and turned his whole body around, uttering a confused "What" as Gabriel struggled to keep his body somewhat upright. He held back his blood, the strain of his scream causing more of it to trickle out.

Mew waved his hands at him and went, "Whoa hang on a second, what do you mean 'If I bring the princess to Gravitus'?"

"...I see...Lady Auris left _that _part up to me..." Gabriel forced himself to lift his head and struggled to get his words out.

"Gravitus...seeks the power of the Neo Drive. But only one with the blood of the Ten Sages is capable of wielding it."

Mew, recalling what "D." had told him, is quick to point out, "But Gravitus doesn't have the blood of the Ten Sages. He was their servant."

"He doesn't. But Lady Kairi does..." Gabriel noted after a strained gasp, "And I have no doubt in my mind that that monster has devised a workaround to the Neo Drive's restrictions...But still requires her to be in his possession."

Mew lingers on Gabriel's words and the meaning behind them. He also didn't want to push him too far considering the wound, but now that he was being more open he had the opportunity to ask again, "But what I don't understand is...If you are against Gravitus' plans, why work for the guy?"

"...It is a complicated feeling. One that started long, long ago..." Gabriel looked up towards the ceiling and began his long explanation.

"I was born long before Lady Auris, serving under the watchful eye of the Ten Sages. I had no given name, no birth parents...Everything I had I had because of them. In their generosity they saw fit to make me the sworn protector of their next of kin, the ten children of whom would carry on the mantle of the Ten Sages...

But I was naive. A fatal judge of character nearly allowed a devil to return our proud people to a more primordial way of life. I was cursed with an immortal body by this devil, and in turn the Ten Sages cursed me with eternal servitude. But it was a servitude I longed for, begged for...To act out my repentance for the mistake I had made.

Swearing an oath to never let harm come to any who bear the Ten Sages' blood, I continued serving the council for generation after generation, until eventually coming to serve under the rule of Lady Auris' father, Borealis Aurora. In the years I served under him I witnessed Sancturia become embroiled in many battles, many of whom involved the original Elemental Overlord.

In the time of the Overlord's passing, it was solely Lady Auris' decision to bring Sancturia to this planet, where someday she had hoped to intermingle with the people of Earth and carve out a new way of life for us all. But there was one among us whose lust for power finally received an opportunity to be fulfilled. Damascus, now going by the name of Gravitus, turned against us all and proclaimed himself the new ruler of the Aurians.

Lady Auris and I mounted a defense against Gravitus' rise alongside many other of our strongest Aurians...Only for him to deliver to us a sound defeat. And in turn he was allowed to leverage Lady Auris' life, and the oath I had sworn to protect her, against me.

I swore servitude to Gravitus in exchange for him sparing her from his wrath. And time after time again he has abused my oath...

Lady Auris began to raise child after child, many of whom learned of Gravitus' crimes and sought to rebel against him. And every time they rebelled they came to find me waiting for them on this floor. I refused to hurt them, and allowed my body to be bruised and battered by their feelings of rage and betrayal. Many of them saw me as their father...But by the time they passed me by I was less than scum.

And were any of them wrong? Who have I protected with this oath I swore? Not Lady Auris, who suffers in a cage of Gravitus' wicked design...Not her children, who have lived to perish at Gravitus' hands for their failures, or grown to scorn both mother and father alike."

Mew stared quietly at Gabriel and remarked, "So that's why you fought me alone. To keep Kairi from finding out the truth."

"Yes, I thought that if you defeated me, or if I killed you...It would either prevent Lady Kairi from seeing me for what I am, or dissuade her from getting closer to Gravitus." What the man said now came straight from his heart. Feelings of shame, regret, and confusion rested on his words. But there was one other thing Mew took away from all this.

"So you think its better to die than to fight?" He said without a hint of joy in his voice.

"There is no fighting Gravitus. His power eclipses us all." Gabriel firmly retorts.

"There **are** ways of fighting that don't involve overpowering him..." Mew remarks with a slight know-it-all grin.

Gabriel shook his head slightly and lamented, "You may have beaten me...But you are still a fool. And your inability to recognize that will doom us all."

Mew closed his eyes and yelled out in frustration "Oh shut up already!" and left the samurai completely silent. Mew then waved his hand around his shoulder and remarked, "I don't mind being called a fool, but I'm not gonna be called a fool by an even bigger fool."

He sternly glared at the back of Gabriel's head and told him, "If you ask me your oath is utter horseshit. There's no worth in a promise that ends with someone suffering for it."

Gabriel grabs onto the hilt of his sword and props himself up slightly, growling back at Mew weakly, "And what would you have me do? How am I supposed to protect the people I care about?"

Mew closed his eyes and responded softly, "Gabriel I don't think what the princess needs right now is a guardian angel looking over her shoulder..."

He opened his eyes, looked to the back of the room, and said with a mild smile, "What she needs is...a friend."

Gabriel retracted his angered scowl towards Mew and echoed in a soft voice "A friend..." before turning his head forward and looking at the ground.

Mew then slowly nodded his head and turned back around. He waved his hand up and said, "Think about it. In the mean time, I gotta catch up with the princess and keep going up the Pyramid."

He then looked over his shoulder, flashed a smile and thumbs up and said, "Oh and seriously...Don't worry about Gravitus. I'll kick his ass especially hard for you. You can consider that a promise."

Mew then disappeared behind the cherry blossom trees, leaving Gabriel along in his thoughts.

...Or so he believed.

A slow, methodical clap fills the room, growing ever closer to the vulnerable samurai as a sardonic voice calls to him, "Bravo! Bravo! A stunning performance by the mewling dog..."

Gabriel's teeth tighten into a scowl as he lifts his head up and growls, "**You **were watching the whole time?"

"Of course I was..." A figure says but a few feet away, their appearance blurred out by the water in Gabriel's eyes, "Your senses have grown as dull as your blade, rabid dog."

Gabriel lowers his eyes and remarks bitterly in turn, "Need I suffer now your insults, Disgraced King?"

The samurai then quickly found the figure behind him, with two sharp, golden blades crossed together below his neck. The mysterious figure, in a suave, wretched tongue, whispered into Gabriel's ear, "I could end your misery right here, if that's what you so desire..."

But the blades swiftly vanished, with Gabriel not even reacting to their harrowing presence. The man of mystery then gestured his hand out and remarked, "But I won't. After all, you are Gravitus' second most cherished plaything."

The man starts snapping his fingers as he diligently spoke in a sing-song voice, "Such a pity that you've been holding back all this time though...I can only begin to imagine how Gravitus shall take this bit of news."

"Once he gets the Neo Drive, hmm...I believe a swift execution shall suffice. A lowly servant deserves no less for his delusions of grandeur."

Gabriel chuckled, cracking a smile as he raised his head up high and started to push his knees off the ground. The man inquired, "What is so funny? Has the blood loss left you mad?"

Barely having the strength to stand up tall, the samurai sheathed his sword and remarked, "Deluded is the king, who sits upon an empty throne."

"...Is that really the best you can muster? Or are you also holding back here too, afraid you'll hurt my feelings?"

Gabriel turned his head forward and said, "I do not need to best you with words anymore. You will fall to the Elemental Overlord, as will your master."

"...Oh I do so look forward to seeing that wretch squirm at my feet. Him **and** the little ill-blooded wench."

Gabriel gripped the hilt of his blade but the whispers of the wind showed that the man saw his way out before trouble could brew against him. The samurai then collapsed back onto his knees but held one hand down to support himself. He grit his teeth, looked straight ahead, and remarked in the silence of his garden, "Heh...I gravely underestimated you Mew..."

He feels a steady heartbeat on his hand placed upon his chest, then looks skyward and says, "Perhaps...there is still a chance to make things right..."

_Next Time: In the Spirit of the Sport_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: The Wandering Whirlwind**

Three. Three Planetary Aurians have been defeated. Leaving Gabriel behind to tend to his wounds and pride, Mew was feeling pretty good about himself. Even if there were a lot of questions that remained unanswered and the number was growing by the hour, he had gotten a few good fights out of this.

"_So glad I've gotten a chance to stretch my muscles," _Mew thought as he rolled his stiff shoulders around, _"Two years and no fighting makes Mew a dull boy..." _

But as he reached the end of this beautiful garden he was reminded of an issue that no amount of training could have prepared him for.

_'Oh, right..." _Mew slowed to a crawl in front of a fine-looking wood pagoda blocking the way forward in lieu of a portal. Standing before the open shutters was Kairi, biting the tips of her fingernails until Mew walked into her line of sight.

She slowly pulled her hand down and looked utterly distraught. With her eyes wide she dropped her hands to her waist and turned aside. She pretended like she wasn't looking, but Mew wasn't fooled.

He put on a smile and waved his hand up, hollering out "Yo! I'm all done here!" in a middling attempt to avoid what's bugging her. But as he climbed up the few pagoda steps and stood right next to her he could tell it wasn't going to be that easy.

Her first response was obvious. She looked at him from out the corner of her eyes and asked "I-Is he ok...?" in a hesitant tone of voice.

Mew wagged his hand out and with a casual smile remarked, "Oh he's fine. I only roughed him up a little."

Kairi tightly wrapped her arms up below her chest and grit her teeth. Mew could tell her anger was building, and it was meshing badly with her confusion. Her pupils shrank and she mumbled in a meek manner, "M-Maybe you should've roughed him up a lot..."

And then, even quieter than before, she said, "Maybe...he'd be better off dead."

Mew paused for a moment and ungracefully remarked, "You don't actually believe that..."

"And just what am I supposed to believe?!" She roared with indignant rage. She then turned upon Mew with her face red and her cheeks looking mildly dampened.

"I trusted him! I welcomed him into our house!" Kairi went on like that for a little bit before boiling her biggest issue down to one sentence, "And he...he was working for Gravitus the whole time!"

Mew stared at Kairi's face as her passion twisted his heart. She was fighting back small tears of rage and her fists were curled up ready to hit something.

But she had to catch her breath, and in that moment Mew saw his opportunity to say, "But that's not what he's doing."

She raised her head but slightly and murmured, "How would you know...?" The distrust in her voice hurt, but was understandable.

Mew didn't have an answer for that. The best he could come up with was to say "Its a grown-up thing" and hope for the best.

Kairi hung her head and under her breath murmured, "I'm not a child anymore..."

And just like that she swung her head back up, bore her glare into Mew's own eyes, then planted a finger firmly on his chest. Her aggression manifested as a plea for answers when she yelled at him, "Who am I supposed to trust?! My mother?! The Planetary Aurians?! ...**You**?!"

Her finger curled into her fist as she punched Mew once on the chest. Mew stiffened up, didn't flinch, and let her vent her frustrations out as she asked of him, "Why should I trust YOU?! Tell me! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't think you are working for Gravitus!"

After a few more seconds of punching Mew's chest, Kairi's knuckles were red and she dragged them down back to her hip. Mew then closed his eyes and admitted, _"Guess I have no choice..."_

He turned around and Kairi looked up. She swung her arms out and exclaimed, "Well?!"

Mew crossed his arms against his chest and suddenly got super serious sounding, "You've forced me to use my ultimate technique..."

A feeling of dread overcame Kairi as Mew started to turn around. She retreated slightly right as Mew unveiled his ultimate technique...

"BLEEEEEAGHLEBLEEE!" A strange moan came out of Mew's mouth as he stuck his tongue out and touched the tip of it on the bottom of his nose. He had one eye looking down, the other up. His thumbs pulled at the sides of his mouth, while his pinkies poked into his eardrums, the remainder of the fingers wiggling about like a head of alien hair.

Kairi was shocked, then pinched her lips together and let out a snort. Finally, her anger was fully disarmed and replaced by her keeling over with laughter.

"Hahahaha! Hahahah! Y-You look so stupid...!" She pulled her head back and laid her hands on her stomach. Mew thus undid his silly look and stood upright with a smile.

"_Hehehe! Mission complete!" _

Kairi suddenly broke out of her laughter, swung her fists down, and yelled at him, "W-What do you think you're doing?!"

Her small pupils and lush pink cheeks showed she was embarrassed. And in turn she had difficulty getting her words out, "T-T-This isn't the time to be...joking!"

Mew laid a hand up by his face and remarked, "Look if I was working for Gravitus I could've taken you to him anytime."

He smiled a bit more and said softly, "You can trust me, ok?"

She stood there and thought about for a bit. Mew could tell it was hard for her. It'd be hard for anyone to believe that they're not alone in the world. But after giving Kairi some space for a couple minutes she looked at him and the first thing she did was pout.

Her expression was a lot more soft, kinda like a puppy's. But upon crossing her arms under her chest she let out a hefty sigh and remarked, "I guess you **are** too stupid to trick me."

Mew had a hearty chuckle at that and replied sarcastically, "Geez thanks."

She then tried really hard to look off to the side as she mumbled, "S-So what are we waiting for...? Lets keep going!"

Mew firmly nodded his head and let out an excited "Yeah!" at the thought of seeing the next Planetary Aurian. He started to walk past Kairi and into the pagoda, but he could've sworn he heard a "Thank you" on the way.

He turned back for a moment and cheekily went "What was that?" only for Kairi to shove him with both her hands and stammer at him angrily, "G-Get a move on already idiot!"

"Okay okay!" Mew threw his hands up in sweet surrender and then laid them back by his hips. As he did so he felt a slight tearing sensation on his chest. He looked down and noticed the wound had reopened slightly. He quickly cauterized it with a fingertip and glanced back to make sure Kairi wasn't looking.

"_Whew, good thing the dried blood meshes well with this shirt..." _He then stood upright and walked up the stairs ahead of her. The climb was relatively short with no twists or turns to slow them down. Even Kairi didn't make a peep, though obviously there was a lot on her mind.

For once, Mew was happy not to pry. He was just glad to know that she could still smile and laugh. To him, it was a sign that there was a chance to make her feel better regarding...whatever it is that's bothering her the most.

They arrived at the fifth floor in record time. Mew was a little surprised by what he found here. Its like he had walked into a huge nightclub...or an overcompensating man-cave. There was a bunch of conveniences strewn about, from arcade machines, a two-story tall _refrigerator_, a couple couches, some workout equipment, a soda dispenser, a one-hundred inch plasma screen TV...

"This Planetary Aurian's sounding like my kinda guy!" Mew clapped his hands and bobbed his head, getting into a party groove.

"Oh god..." Kairi groaned loudly, "_Two _of you?!"

Mew turned around and naturally poked a bit of fun at her, "Boy you don't know the half of it."

"What?" She said with her brows tilted.

"Never mind. You're welcome to bow out if too much of me's a bad thing."

"Nah forget it," Kairi raised her head haughtily then said with a sneer, "If I'm lucky the two of you will bash out your remaining brain cells."

Mew closed his eyes and snickered to himself, _"Good to see the princess' back in high spirits..." _

Then he turned to the portal on the other side of the room and started to walk towards it. Given the pattern thus far it was obvious where they'd be going next. Also, considering how things were in Mercury, Mew didn't feel worried about oxygen going forward.

He walked into the portal and assumed Kairi would follow a second after. One familiar warp later, and the two wound up on the fourth planet from the sun – Mars. Red rocky lands, orange-pink skies, and nothing but hilltops and dust as far as the eye can see.

"_Its a little more exciting than Mercury, but that's like comparing chocolate cake to red velvet cake..." _Mew remarked...and then felt a little drool coming out of his mouth as he mumbled, "Damn it now I really want cake..."

He turned back around to see how Kairi was reacting to this new planet. She looked bored, unsurprisingly, and her opinions of this place mirrored Mew's similarly, "Well, at least its more colorful than Mercury..."

Mew turned back around and wondered to himself, _"Why is NASA so desperate to come here again?" _

There was **one** thing that stuck out though. And no, its not aliens. It was an arcade machine setup a hundred yards out with an electrical generator wired up to it.

Without a peep Mew started walking towards it, causing Kairi to blurt out "Hey!" and chase after him. The two walked across the calm Mars lands and arrived next to the arcade machine. Kairi went into a slump and grumbled, "You can't be serious."

Mew put a hand on his chin and pondered aloud, "Who knows, maybe this is the next Planetary Aurian?"

Kairi swung her head towards him still slumped over like a hunchback and said, "The machine? Really?"

Mew tilted his head and propositioned with a bit of hesitation, "There could be a digital AI inside of the machine, you never know."

"What so...we need to jump into cyberspace?" Kairi suddenly raised and shook her head and grumbled, "W-Why am I even going along with this nonsense?!"

Mew chuckled at her and then looked back at the arcade machine. A bit of sparks went off from behind along with someone going "Gack!" in response. The machine then whirred to life, and the person working on it stumbled out from behind on one foot.

It was a guy somewhere between Mew and Kairi's height but looked a little older than them both. He had natural dark brown skin that made his orange hair stick out all the more. He had his hair slicked back to his shoulders with some of it sticking up on end atop his head.

His outfit started with a sleeveless vest with a wave orange-red-yellow pattern and golden rims with a rope-like texture to them. Then it went on to a red sash holding some baggy white pants up, clearly Arabian inspired. Like, Disney's Aladdin Arabia, to be precise. The guy preferred not to wear shoes which meant having to look at his dry cracked feet, but judging from his six-pack abs and firm pectoral muscles he clearly didn't mind having the one glaring flaw in his appearance.

Upon finishing his one-legged balancing act the guy swung his head towards his company and looked at them with his brown eyes as wide as a goldfish's. He mentally checked out for a moment as he put his feet down and hid his electrically singed hands behind his back. While he rubbed the burnt skin on his pants he remarked in a laid-back tone of voice, "Ah geez, you guys came sooner than I expected."

Mew walked up to this newcomer and immediately held his right hand out, greeting him with a simple, "My name's Mew."

The guy stared at him back then shook his hand and said with a smile, "Aurian Mars. Though my buddies call me Seth."

Mew pulled his hand back and pointed at the arcade machine from across his chest, "So Seth, what's with that?"

Seth crossed his arms under his chest, looked at the machine and remarked, "I bought it from a pawn store. Allegedly it plays a super old Earth fighting game called 'Street Fighter III'."

"Oh no kidding?" Mew rubbed his chin and pivoted towards the machine. He then smiled at Seth, gestured a finger towards the machine and asked, "Wanna go a round or two?"

Seth's face lit up as he softly ushered out a "Hell yeah" and joined Mew in heading towards the machine. Kairi just stood by, staring blankly at the odd scene playing out before her eyes and only uttering a single "What the fuck..." at the whole thing.

Seth had the machine rigged to run without quarters so the two quickly got into the thick of things. Mew picked his character first and Seth chose his. Sounds of 'Aegis Reflector!', 'Hadoken!' and arcade sticks moving in quarter circle motions filled the air for roughly the next ten minutes. Finally though, the two turned away from the machine. Mew stretched an arm high above his head while Seth hung his head low and looked a little distraught.

"Aw man, you're good at this." Seth's voice was relaxed and full of praise, while Mew chose to look at him with one eye up and got a little boisterous, "What can I say? I got a **looot** of spare time to practice!"

Seth then held his hand up again, this time the two shaking on a good match. Seth then said, "We ought to do this again sometime."

"Yeah that'd be great. Come to my place, I ain't got much junk food but I got plenty of games!" Mew responded jollily.

Seth's smiled widened as the two parted hands. With a whisper of "Yeah, sounds like fun" he reached into his vest and pulled out a small stamp.

"Here, take this stamp. It'll let you move on."

"Just like that?" Mew said with a bit of surprise.

"Well you did give me a thorough thrashing in Street Fighter so its only fair..."

"Oh no no no by all means! I'll gladly take it...new best friend!" Mew laid the back of his palm out and Seth went to apply the stamp...

"**Crsssh! Smmmshh! Bssssh!" **Three very loud bludgeoning sounds came from the immediate direction of the arcade machine...Which now looked like a three-pronged crown of scrap with electricity spurting out of the tips. Kairi stood triumphantly over it with staff in both hands and her face red-hot.

Seth widened his eyes and was a little too cool-headed as he bemoaned, "Awww man, it took me an entire month to get that running mobile!"

"Kairi what the hell?!" Mew said with his hands swung down by his hips.

"YOU be quiet!" Kairi brandished a finger towards Mew and then leaped over the broken shambles of Seth's dreams to get right up in his face with the blunt end of her staff.

"And you...Just who the hell do you think you are?!" She yelled to a guy already throwing his arms up like he was under arrest.

"Ummm..." Seth didn't even get a word in edgewise before Kairi went at it again.

"You're supposed to be a Planetary Aurian! You're supposed to fight us! Not hand out free passes like candy on Halloween!"

"Princess..." Mew sighed, only for Kairi to take a swing at him to make him retreat. Then she was back to holding Seth at staff-point.

Given a chance to breathe the Planetary Aurian closed his eyes and sighed "Why do I always attract the rowdy ones?" before trying diplomacy with his bitter aggressor, "Do we have to do this? Seriously?"

"Uh-huh! Unless...you're a chicken!" Kairi took her staff to poke the top of Seth's hair and remarked, "Your hairdo even looks like a chicken's cowl! Bawk bawk, chicken!"

"_Oh good grief I take it back. She's behaving even worse than she was before..." _Mew lamented in his head.

Mew decided to settle the differences at hand by telling Seth nonchalantly, "Just give her the fight she's craving Seth."

Seth turned his head towards Mew and blurted in shock, "I'm not going to be her punching bag!"

"Awww don't think of it like that, think of it as..." Mew raised his eyes up for a moment before closing them and smiling, "Relieving some tension!"

"I am the **last **person who should be doing that for someone," But after Seth let out a long, worn down sigh he cautiously took a couple steps back and reached down for his hips, "But fine, fine...If its a fight you want."

Seth whips out a pair of orange nunchucks connected by a bronze chain and starts whipping them around his arms and legs faster than a blender set on puree. Masterfully avoiding any bruising of his own skin, Seth grips both ends of his nunchucks presses the chain against his back of his neck. He kicks his toes at the ground and says in a somewhat more serious tone, "Then its a fight you'll get."

Kairi cocked a grin and said, "Bring it o-"

Mars ziplined straight for her and socked her in the nose with the blunt side of his nunchucks clasped in one hand. Kairi was knocked on her back and went tumbling a few feet away. Mew let out a brief whistle and then slowly backed away to find a better spectator spot.

Once Kairi got up there was a bit of blood dripping out of her nose. But it was not as red as the rest of her face was as she growled at Seth. Seth widened his eyes and swiftly apologized, "My bad, I thought you were ready."

Kairi sweeps the dust off her shirt and then points her staff at Seth while growling, "I am going to beat your ass _blue_, chicken shit."

**Vs. The Desert Whirlwind: Aurian Mars!**

Mew sat down comfortably on the dusty ground and looked at his shirt once again. He created a sewing needle out of thin air and prepared the necessary means to stitch his shirt back together into something more presentable.

Oh, but he did make sure to give Kairi's little duel with Seth the attention it deserved. He was, in his own terms, "Curious to see how she holds up this time".

Kairi gripped her staff in both hands and ran right at her opponent, the same opening move she made the last two fights she had. Seth leaned down and to the left to dodge the downward swing. He then whipped his nunchucks at the back of her right knee.

Kairi lost her balance forward slightly but stood right up and swung down at Seth's head. He zipped behind her and got upright in the blink of an eye. He hopped a bit off the ground and pummeled Kairi in the back with a few rapid kicks, the last one used to flip out of harm's way.

Kairi stumbled forward and pawed at the ground before pulling herself upright and turning around. Immediately Seth was in her path and used his nunchucks to throw a punch at her face. She barely turned her head out of the way and her eyes looked like a deer in headlights.

Seth quickly loosened one end of his nunchucks then battered the side of Kairi's face with a few hits, backing off when she growled and swung her staff up at his chest.

Kairi fumed in frustration "Hold still damn it!" and rushed at him once more.

Seth whipped his body around faster than she could blink to avoid her staff thrusts and said in exasperation, "Why would I _want _to get hit?!"

Halfway through his stitching project Mew looked over at the battle and said, "Protect your balls, she likes to aim low!"

"Shut up! Don't _help _him!" Kairi spat Mew's way, giving Seth an opportunity to sweep his left foot down to trip her flat on her face.

He backed up and swung his nunchucks at increasingly slower speeds around his arms and shoulders. While Kairi was busy working up the energy to plant her palms on the ground Seth looked down at her and remarked aloud, "Oh hey, I'm not doing too bad."

Kairi's head swung right up to glare at Seth which, when combined with a growl caused the man to whimper slightly, "H-Hey go easy on me..."

Kairi tried to sweep his legs with her staff only for him to leap over it twice then back off to put an end to that. Kairi then got up running and tried to thrust her staff at him repeatedly. He easily evaded the attacks and whipped his nunchucks across her body. This just seemed to piss her off more and more, as her growls were getting loud enough to sound like a roar.

Once Mew finished stitching his shirt back to normal he clapped his hands clean and paid closer attention to Kairi's fight. He said nonchalantly, "You winning over there?"

Right as Kairi took another hit to the face and toppled over onto her butt, as a matter of fact. Mew blinked a few times and watched as Kairi scrambled back to her feet and leaped up for an overhead strike.

Seth whipped right behind her, avoiding the bone-crushing blow, then performed a short hop into a spinning kick to her back to knock her down. Kairi punched the ground hard enough to crack it then shot back upright. When she turned around she screamed angrily, "Cut it out!"

"_I knew she was angry but this is ridiculous..." _Mew bemoaned in his head. After watching Seth successfully evade her easily swung attacks for a few more seconds Mew raised his hands and created a small notepad for him to write in using a graphite pencil.

What he was writing was an utter mystery, but Kairi was the obvious subject matter as his eyes darted from her to the notepad.

After a few more whacks from Seth's nunchucks Kairi's left cheek was starting to look a little bruised, and she fell onto one knee. Not meaning to be condescending in the slightest Seth remarked, "Man now I'm starting to feel bad. Do you wanna just take the 'L'?"

Kairi stabbed her staff right into the ground and gnashed her teeth at Seth. She pulled herself up and snarled, "Don't...look down on me!"

She smashed the ground one more time with her staff and reached for her bracelet. She slammed that Beast Tamer Drive of hers down and exclaimed, "You're DEAD, traitor!"

She unfurled her staff into its whip form and immediately summoned a lion to her aid. Mew sighed and wrote down in the notepad much faster than before.

Seth was utterly baffled as he remarked, "Traitor? What?"

The lion lunged for him and he zipped back a couple feet on the spot, then repeated it a couple times to avoid its follow-up swings. Seth bit his teeth down and seemed more pressed to talk to Mew than avoid the man-eating feline.

"Hey buddy, whatcha writing?"

"Huh?" Mew poked his head up, fluttered his free fingers out and said, "Oh don't fret over it. Focus on your fight!"

"Pay attention damn it!" Kairi yelled in tune with the lion's ferocious roar. The lion leaped into the air and tried to crush Seth under its weight.

Seth leaped back out of the way then ran forth to shoulder tackle the lion in the schnoz. The king of beasts was knocked onto its back, and looked like one of those throwaway rugs.

Seth tried to speed past the grounded lion when the it suddenly lashed its frontal right claw out. Seth hopped to the left and wound up getting tagged by the coil of Kairi's whip. Kairi growled very loudly as she dragged Seth in, who let out an "Eep!" right as her punch smashed into his nose and dragged his whole body towards the ground.

Before his back hit down hard Seth planted his elbows against the ground and rammed his feet into Kairi's chin. She was knocked off her feet and accidentally let go of her opponent. Seth still fell on his back but after a bit of breakdancing jumped back on his feet and breathed a sigh of relief.

A feeling that'd be fleeting, as the lion ambushed him from behind. Seth spun around and quickly whipped his nunchucks around his arms, alternating which hand held them. The weapon created an impenetrable barrier of whirlwind blows that suspended the lion in place until it was too weak to fight.

Seth breathed another sigh as the lion fell down and disappeared. He muttered to himself, "They ain't like the giant scorpions back home, but I **still **hate lions..."

Another feral growl alerted him to danger from behind in the form of a giant tiger. He bit his teeth and said, "And tigers...tigers blow too."

The tiger raised its claw to swing at Seth but he dodged out of the way and ran circles around the beast. He whipped his nunchucks into it while ducking and leaping over its claw swipes and gnarling bites.

All the while Kairi was watching and stretching her whip out angrily. With how much she was grinding her teeth down it was a miracle she had any left. Mew continued writing stuff down but also made some mental notes in his head.

"_Seth's not that strong but that speed...He might even be faster than me!" _Mew pouts that he was robbed of a potentially fun fight then turns that into an expression of curiosity by lifting his eyes up.

"_I wonder if that's his Drive?" _

Since Seth's not up to much else but whittling away at the stationary tiger Mew looked at him and hollered, "Yo Seth! Does your Drive happen to have something to do with speed?!"

"No!" He yelled back, sounding a little exhausted.

Mew then looked over at Kairi and saw her glaring at him. Her eyes were pinched down and wrinkly looking. Mew nervously chuckled and thought, _"That has gotta be the single angriest look I've __**ever**__ seen."_

That line of thinking got him, well, thinking. He thus changed his question towards Seth to, "Might it have something to do with the princess' sour mood?"

Seth bent under the tiger's mouth then rising kicked it in the jaw, all the while biting his lip and remarking, "Ah shit yeah, sorry about that!"

After the tiger takes a hard fall on its back Seth eases up and glances over at Kairi, looking increasingly frightened by her almost demonic face. He then says in an embarrassed tone, "My Drive kinda amplifies the strongest emotion of those near me. I don't have very good control over it..."

The tiger flips back onto its four paws and nearly scratches Seth's chest. The man pulls his nunchucks over his shoulders and remarks, "Alright, time to kick it up a notch..."

Faster than an eye can blink Seth whipped his nunchucks down at the ground in a curve. This causes the dust to rise up in a small whirlwind, where the tiger is carried into a helpless state off the ground. Seth then stretches his nunchucks in a straight line before his chest. The ends peel click off, revealing a shotgun barrel underneath each one.

Mew's eyes widened and he whistled "Awwwwesome!" much to Kairi's chagrin. Seth leaped above the tiger and pointed his nunchucks down. The shotgun energy blasts pounded the cat and helped keep him suspended. He held back the recoil surprisingly well. After about ten of those blasts the whirlwind subsided and the tiger looked like swiss cheese on the ground.

Seth landed with a satisfied expression and murmured under his breath, "Thank you Catherine..."

Then a giant shadow loomed over his body. Mew sighed and thought _"Oh boy here we go again..." _as Kairi went right for her last resort – the bear. Mew shrugged his shoulders out and said, "Its not going to..."

Seth became paralyzed for a moment and the bear pinned him to the ground under one of its beefy claws. Mew squeezes his eyes shut, takes a deep breath in, and sighs out nasally, "Iiiii stand corrected."

Seth looked uncomfortable lying under what was likely a couple tons worth of pure anger. But he kept his cool under duress as he said, "Alright alright...I give up. You win."

But Kairi stretched her whip out and growled in a rather deep tone of voice, "Turn him into veal Ursa Maimer.'

The bear roared and raised its other claws up. Seth widens his eyes and goes, "Whoa hang on! I don't wanna be turned into strip steak!"

While Kairi was so busy taking up a profession as a meat butcher, Mew snuck up behind her. He pressed a finger up to his lips while summoning an ice cube between two other fingers. He then slipped the ice cube down the back of Kairi's shirt.

Her arms swung down and she jolted upright. Mew can hear her biting her teeth down and shivering and chuckles at it. Its not so funny when she turns around and glares at him though. Mew just crosses his arms up and turns his head aside to whistle innocuously.

After a bit of that Mew grins and tells her, "You've had your fun princess. He's surrendered already."

Kairi crumpled her upper lip up then turned her glare back towards Seth. The bear's claw was frozen halfway towards killing him, or at the very least giving his pretty face an ugly makeover. Seth squeezed one hand out underneath the claw and waved it out to say "Don't mind me, just take your time!" sarcastically.

Kairi squeezed her fists and stiffened her upper lip. She then growled "Fiiine!" and the bear was called off a moment later. While she did that, Mew tucked the filled up notepad in his back pocket.

"_I'll see you again soon."_

Seth breathed a good ol' breath of life and stood right back up. He tucked his nunchucks into the back of his pants and whispers aloud, "Why me? Why me?"

A sentiment Mew could totally empathize with. Still, despite how south things were going, Seth approaches the two with a positive attitude. Not that Kairi offered the same to him.

"Haha! I won! Take that!" She declared in a chipper tone while thrusting a fist at his face.

Seth paused up close to her knuckles and then shuffled his body away from them to get in front of Mew. He reaches into his vest to pull out the stamp and then quickly stamps the back of Mew's hand. As he puts the stamp away he remarks, "This could've gone by so much faster..."

"And with less attempted murder?" Mew chuckled.

"That might've been nice..." Seth sighed in turn.

Mew looked down at the stamp and saw that it was orange. It seemed to depict a pair of scimitars crossing, but the blades of them looked oddly like dollar bills signs. Mew blinked a couple times and Seth responded with his hand waved out, "Don't ask, the stamps weren't my idea..."

Mew looked at him and had a different question on his mind, "Actually I wanted to ask a personal question...If you don't mind."

"Shoot." Seth said without hesitation.

Mew crossed his arms up and inquired, "Why are you working for Gravitus? You don't strike me as much of a fighter."

Seth bemoaned in a somewhat offended tone, "Hey man that's rough...I-I mean you're not wrong perse but..."

"But what?" Mew prodded curiously like a kitten.

"Its just that if there's no reason to fight why bother?" Seth's simple answer wasn't something Mew could agree with, but he saw where he was coming from.

"As for Gravitus..." Seth had to take in a deep breath before giving his answer, "Well...he pays well."

"Ah, so its all about the money." Mew said, almost like he was giving him grief over it.

"Hey, a guy's gotta make a livin'." Seth responded.

Mew nodded his head and muttered, "So true, so true..."

Seth then held his hand out and asked, "So hey, I know that went sour but I'd still totally like to hang out again sometime."

Mew firmly shook his hand, looked him in the eyes, and gave him a bit of motivation in the form of, "And good luck repairing your machine."

Seth glanced back at the machine in disarray and grumbled meekly, "I-Its alright. I'm...kind of used to it."

After the two let go Mew gestures at the portal to get Kairi moving. She's still glaring at Seth over her shoulder as they make their way back. But before their out of earshot Seth suddenly yells, "Hey! When you make it to the next Planetary Aurian-!"

Mew turns around. Seth paused and then awkwardly mumbled, "Never mind...Good luck!"

Mew blinked a few times and then followed Kairi through the portal. Right as he emerged from the other side he saw her grinning from cheek-to-cheek with her hands behind her head. She had this high and mighty attitude that reflected in her voice, "That was easy! I've beaten two Planetary Aurians all on my own!"

Mew had a blank look on his face and not a single witty retort to draw on. Patting down the notepad further into his pocket he remembered the discussion he had with Gabriel.

"_If Lady Kairi is brought to Gravitus it'll be the end of everything!"_

Mew looked Kairi in the eyes and softly told her, "Hey princess, we need to talk."

Kairi opened her eyes and had this smarmy grin as she boasted, "Finally gonna admit your victories so far were flukes?"

"_...Hoo boy am I really up for this?" _Mew felt the greatest sensation of dread ever as he closed his eyes and gathered his thoughts. He tried to come up with the least offensive way to say what he was about to say.

"You're lucky we even made it to the fourth floor let alone gained access to the sixth." It was a soft enough start, and Kairi even thought he was just joking as she snickered at him.

"What're you talking about?"

Mew wiggled a hand around by his hip and remarked, "Hate to tell you this princess...But you're..."

He bit down his teeth and hissed with one open eye, "Nooooot a very good fighter."

Her mood 180'd from happy to annoyed as she bitterly asked, "What do you mean 'I'm not a good fighter'?"

Before Mew could clarify Kairi swung her fists down and yelled at him, "I'm plenty strong! So where do you get OFF-"

Mew actually managed to shut her up by feeding into her huge ego momentarily, "Oh yeah you're definitely strong"

Then whispering painfully from the corner of his mouth, "My balls can attest to that..."

But then he quickly sought to take her down a peg by bringing to her attention, "But being a good fighter isn't all about being strong."

"Power IS everything. Without power you-"

"O-K _Vergil_ quiet down and hear me out," Mew put on his serious tone and got straight to the point, "Seth's the weakest Planetary Aurian we've faced so far."

"And like, no offensive meant to him, but he's so weak you didn't actually need your Beast Tamer Drive to beat him."

Stating that point with so much certainty got Kairi quiet for a little bit, giving Mew the freedom to tell her, "You know why you were losing? Because he had your number. Everything you do is predictable."

Mew knew Kairi's face turning red was the signal to back down but he wasn't going to relent this time around. He told her bluntly, "All the strength in the world means diddly squat if you don't have the skill to make use of it."

Kairi spat at Mew with actual spit, much to his surprise, then barked out at him, "Bah! What do you know?!"

Mew blinked as the spit slid slowly down his face, retorting in a none too offended tone, "Hey you said it yourself. I got fighting on the brain."

Kairi stared at him and stuttered, "I-I didn't say..."

Mew grinned, "Ah, but you were thinking it. I could tell... cause I have _psychic powers_!"

Kairi's face turned pale and so Mew quickly course-corrected this subject by saying, "Ok I'm kidding but see what I mean? If a Grade-A dumbass like me can guess your thoughts, imagine what someone smarter than me would do in the heat of battle?"

Kairi turned her head down and Mew kept going at it, "I believe you got what it takes to go far princess, but you just gotta apply yourself a bit. Let me teach you a bit of what I know and I promise you'll be a much better fighter for it."

She paused for a moment, seeming to think about his offer. But then she swung her head up high and while walking right past him remarked, "Or I'll just go to the next floor. What do you think about THAT?"

"I think..." Mew sighed and snapped a couple fingers right up by his face. Immediately the ground below the stairs to the next floor shot up to form a wall to block the way. Kairi reeled back in the face of this insurmountable obstacle and Mew faced her with a grin.

"That's a big fat 'No'."

Kairi pouted at him then whipped out her staff to take a huge whack at the wall. Her staff stiffens up and vibrates, carrying that sensation all the way to her arms and forcing her to drop it in fright.

Mew sighed and shook his head, "No doing princess. Right now I'm the only one who can take down this wall."

He stared at her sternly and told her the deal, "And I ain't gonna budge unless you take up my offer. Its either that or I go the rest of the way on my own. Your choice."

Kairi points at Mew and goes "Listen here you little perverted shitbag! I...I..." before succumbing to a severe loss for words. She bites her teeth down, sways her head around, and performs a few other acts of resistance before it seems like all her rage just sort of...disappears.

Stoic in expression, she stared at Mew and wondered aloud, "Why do you care so much?"

Mew popped a grin and chuckled, "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."

In her first instance of selfless interest, Kairi pouted and muttered, "...Try me."

Mew laid his hands behind the back of his head and said, "Cause I like helping people in need."

"...That's it?" Kairi said with her brows raised in suspicion.

"That's it." Mew echoed.

"No its not. You have to have a reason."

"Why do I need a reason to help someone?" Mew then chuckles and remarks, "I feel like we've had this conversation already."

Kairi lowered her head and then upon squeezing her eyes shut growled, "Gah fine! I'll do your dumb training!"

"Sweet!" Mew cheered and clapped his hands together. He then turned for the stairs down and remarked, "Now where would we find a dojo in Sancturia..."

"...There's one in the basement back home."

Mew's eyes widened as he twisted his body back and went, "H-Huh?"

Kairi raised her head and grumbled, "I'm not going to repeat myself, you heard me!"

"N-No its just that..." Upon further reflection, Mew didn't even know why that took him by surprise. He quickly perked back up and remarked, "Ah whatever works! Lets get on back to your house then, your training begins on the spot!"

"Joy..." Kairi unceremoniously crossed her arms and followed Mew on a one-way walk out of the Pyramid. Mew felt pretty confident that this detour would be worth it, even if Kairi didn't believe so right now...

_Next Time: Word of the...Not-So Wise_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Learning to Fight**

Kairi followed Mew out of the Pyramid. It was barely noon, if even that. So much time to spend clearing the Pyramid, and instead she was being dragged out. Once more she followed the boy's whims and wants.

"_...I hate this. I hate this so much." _Kairi pouted the whole trip back. Her thoughts were all focused on Mew. Whether she knew it or not, he had rented out a sizable space in her mind.

"_'Why do I need a reason to help someone?' Who says that crap? Nobody does good things without a reason. Fame. Money. Love..." _Kairi widened her eyes and realized, _"Oh god he's trying to earn brownie points with my mom...Or brownie points with me!"_

She narrowed her eyes at his back and thought, _"There's no telling what he'll try and pull to get his kicks!"_

But for a moment, she imagined him turning around with that goofy look on his face. Her heart went "Thump! Thump!" until she shook her head. She then continued staring at his back and grumbled, "...There's no telling what he'll try."

They soon made their way back to Kairi's house. Kairi took the lead and peeked through the door. "Mom?" She repeated a few times and got no response.

"Out shopping again..." Kairi sighed and reluctantly told Mew, "Ok follow me."

Alone in her house with a guy she just barely trusted. This was a recipe for disaster, but if push came to shove Kairi knew his weakness. While walking to the door beneath the stairs glanced at Mew. He stood there – smiling. He quietly prodded her with, "Well go on."

Kairi opened the door. Behind it a staircase going down. They climbed down it and wound up in a dusty space with little lighting. Kairi flicked the nearby switch and brightened the whole room up.

The walls were made of plaster except one, which was a giant mirror. There were a couple wooden dummies with human figures. A big gym mat on the ground stood around for practice. Kairi stared at this room with one-hand flat on the wall.

Suddenly a quick breeze kicked up the dust and carried it off into the nearby vent. Mew clapped his hands waltzed into view, and laid his palms on his hips.

"Perfect!" He declared, "Lets get started!"

While Mew took a moment familiarizing himself Kairi walked past him and approached one of the dummies. She stared at its blank canvas of a face and went to its chest. There she examined a couple thin cut marks and gently rubbed one hand on them.

Her eyes sank with a puckered frown. Then a loud slapping sound jolted her head back. She sees Mew planting pieces of note paper on the mirror with tape.

"That should do it." He said with a puff of satisfaction.

"What are you doing?" Kairi wondered.

"Setting up lesson notes," Mew turned and headed for the gym mat. Waving at himself he then said, "Come on! We got work to do."

Kairi crossed her arms under her chest and stepped onto the mat. Mew pointed at her and remarked, "First off none of that."

"None of what?" Kairi responded cheekily.

"Your arms. Don't cross 'em like that. It makes you too tense."

"You do it all the time though." Kairi bluntly pointed out.

"Yeah but that's..." Mew paused mid-sentence. Kairi closed her eyes and sighed, "Really inspiring confidence here."

"OK look..." Mew wagged his open hand out and said, "Gimme your staff."

"W-What?" Kairi didn't like where this was going. Mew quietly egged her on by saying, "Come on, hand it over."

"_He wants my weapon," _Kairi suspected the worst, _"My best means of self-defense. And if he tries to cop a feel...or worse."_

Her mind went to dark places that left her in shivers. Mew looked at her and said, "If its cold I can heat the room up a bit."

Kairi grumbled "F-Forget it!" and then summoned her staff. She gripped it tight, glaring at Mew. She then thew it with all her might and it gave him a nice blow to the gut as he caught it in one hand.

Mew bit his teeth and said, "You got a good throwing arm princess. Ever thought about playing baseball?"

Kairi wasn't amused and yelled, "Get on with it!"

"Settle down, Gravitus isn't going to be here for six more days..." Mew whispered. He then started to lift the staff but had some trouble, "Wow this is...oof! Heavier than it looks!"

But after some fumbling for Kairi's amusement Mew easily treated the staff like a twig. He even threw and spun it with a flick of the wrist.

"_He's treating it like...like a cheerleader baton!" _Kairi's eyes lit up in disbelief.

"Tough stuff..." Mew finally held it tight and looked up from the corner of his eyes, "I'm guessing...Orichalcum?"

"Y-Yes?" Kairi wondered _"How did he know?"_ while Mew started going off on his own.

"Do you know what Orichalcum does?"

Kairi responded forthright, "I-Its a stone that does well against magic."

"Yeah. Like say...my elements?" Mew cupped the staff in one hand like a bat and floated a fireball before his face. He swung the staff at it and it was blown aside, leaving behind not even an ember.

"You could've had an easier time fighting me if you had done that."

Mew's advice came across as a put-down and Kairi blurted out "I-I knew that" to try and humble him a little.

But then the tip of her staff tickled her nose. She pulled away a bit as her heart leaped from her chest. Mew balanced the other end of her staff on an open palm and said, "A bo-staff is one of the longest practical weapons out there. Counting your arm, I'd say you can cover about...sixteen feet of circumference around you."

He nudged a brow and said, "That's a pretty huge advantage against most opponents. You got to try and play keep away sometimes, especially if your opponent is faster. Also, did you know you can swing with your full strength at any length one-handed? All it takes is keeping a firm grip on your weapon."

Mew flipped the staff back in the air, causing it to land upright at his side for him to grab. Kairi was utterly confused. She'd seen the boy use nothing but fists and sword, and yet he held that staff like a pro. This was suspicious, so Kairi's inquiring mind led to her asking, "How do you know any of that?"

"Oh you know. Anime. Video games...Old Jackie Chan films." Mew uttered these inane things as if they were something to be proud of.

"Of course..." Kaiir said belligerently. She then leaned in and grumbled, "And yes, that stuff is obvious."

"You're right. So lets move on to the first actual lesson." Mew let go of the staff and shoved it back with the heel of his shoe. He then snapped his fingers and locked the staff up in a big steel coffin. Kairi widened her eyes and held her hand up to try and call it back, but all she heard was it smacking desperately to try and break free.

Mew moved one hand up to his face, curling it into a fist as he smiled, "Nice try princess. But I need your hands freed for unarmed combat."

"Unarmed...combat?" Kairi stopped and took a second to register what he was saying.

She then looked at his smug little grin and thought _"He's getting off on toying with me..." _

She bit her teeth down and squeezed her fists. One was thrown up by her chest, the other at her hip. Mew's eyes lit up and he remarked, "Oh ho ho! So you already know a thing or two?"

"Naturally!" Kairi boasted with a smile, before speaking with a bit of malice, "A staff just hits harder."

"T-That it does..." Mew stammered with a reactive wince of pain near his legs. But then he perked up and said, "Alright go on. Hit me with your best shot."

Kairi went wide-eyed but followed it up with a smirk and snicker. A thought went through her mind. A terrible, mischievous thought.

"_Last time he let me hit him where he's most vulnerable..." _She stared right at his grinning face, _"Now I'll ruin that 'pretty' face of his!"_

Kairi eagerly ran at Mew and swung her fist straight at his face. She threw her all into it, yet Mew just sidestepped behind her. She went "Huh?" as the force of her swing nearly sent her tumbling off the mat.

She hung there as Mew had a giggle at her expense. She slapped her knees then spun right around to throw another punch. Mew expertly swung his head out of the way.

Kairi staggered over a bit and had to plant her hands on her knees. Mew waddled a couple steps back then held his arms out and remarked in an overly over-the-top voice, "Oh? You are approaching me?"

Kairi flinched and then lifted her head with a firm scowl to say, "I can't beat the shit out of you without getting closer."

Mew's eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store as he remarked, "Hey! You knew the reference!"

Kairi bit her teeth down and turned bright red. She immediately stood and rushed Mew with a few more punches, all while telling him to "S-Shut up!"

After a few failed attempts to clobber Mew in the head Kairi started to yell, "Hold still damn it!"

As his jolly ol' self Mew remarked, "Contrary to popular belief princess, no one likes to get hit."

He then paused to note, "Well...unless you're a masochist."

In that moment Kairi thrust one fist straight for his face. He looked shocked as he caught it in his right hand, the back of which was forced to his nose. Mew whistled and lowered her fist, complimenting her with, "Well...you sure know how to use your strength."

Kairi suddenly felt a couple pokes under her arm. Mew was prodding at her biceps, which jiggled a bit at the touch. Kairi took a deep breath through her nostrils as Mew had the gall to say, "Huh, I would've thought you would have worked out more."

Kairi ripped her fist out and swung at Mew's head. He almost didn't duck in time, unfortunately. Kairi started swinging at him faster, madder than before. Mew continued evading while handing out "advice", "The key to hitting your opponent is to get inside their head. Out think them, predict where they'll dodge to!"

"Who! Would **ever**! Want to be in your head?!" Kairi emphasized with every swing she took. Mew also got this really big grin, as if what she said was hilarious.

After a few more failed attempts Kairi stopped to catch her breath. There Mew tagged her forehead with a couple fingers and knocked her on her tush. He then said to her softly, "We'll pick that back up later."

Kairi rubbed her bum then stood up pouting angrily at Mew, _"This is stupid. He's treating this like a game."_

"Pop quiz time!" Mew's eccentricities led to more confusion on Kairi's part. Before she can say something more he pops a pointer finger up and asks, "What part of the body should you strike to best weaken your opponent?"

Kairi dully raised her hand and stated, "The neck, duh."

"Geez aren't you violent..." Mew retorted, "You're close though."

He laid a hand up on his face and said, "Its the face you wanna aim for."

"The face? But why? The neck's the quickest way to finish someone off." Kairi's response made Mew tremble for a moment.

"Y-Yes it is...But that's pretty common knowledge. A warrior should know to guard their neck at all times."

"Ok wise guy then why's the face better?"

"I'm getting to that!" Mew shouted somewhat impatiently. He then took his hand off his face to start pointing at individual parts of it.

"Well for starters, we breathe out of our nose and mouth. Without a steady influx of air we wouldn't have the strength to walk let alone fight. Second of all, our two most vulnerable body parts are the eyes and ears. No matter how much training you do, they'll never get stronger. Compared to say like, the neck and ribcage, which you can make tougher."

Mew then giggled and said, "And I should know, I once spent a month staring at the sun an hour a day thinking it'd toughen my eyes up."

"...Is he for real?" Kairi uttered with a slacked jaw. Mew then threw a punch and poke out in quick succession while saying, "A quick jab to the eyes will usually take care of most opponents for a bit. The ears are tougher, since ya kinda need a thin weapon."

Kairi puffed her cheeks and spat out a sigh. She then groaned in boredom, "None of this sounds practical. Can't you focus on the important stuff? Like how to keep people from dodging?"

"The key to a good offense is a strong defense princess," Mew was like a kid on sugar, he just wouldn't stop having something to say, "On that note, onto the next step."

He stood there and stared at her. Kairi could clearly tell he was looking at her body, as he let out one of his bog standard giggles. Kairi covered her breasts with her arms, just to be safe. Mew then rubbed the back of his head and sighed, "W-With your permission, I'd like to grab onto you."

"WHAT?!" Kairi's scream made Mew recoil. Good. She couldn't believe he'd have the nerve to even ask, "You're insane! I won't let you touch my breasts!"

"I'm not going to touch your breasts!" Mew replied, trying to keep his cool, "I already felt enough of them for one week..."

"Mrrrr...!" Kairi's violent, vibrating growl left her face beet red.

"Ok bad choice of words," Mew admitted, "I'm just going to grab your waist. That's it. Promise."

"I-I don't believe you!"

"Yeah I uh...don't blame you." Mew snickered and seemed to take her lack of trust in stride, "If I was you I wouldn't believe me either."

It was an odd thing for him to say and yet, it got Kairi wondering to herself, _"If he wanted to fondle me or force himself on me he could've done so anytime by now. We're all alone, there's nothing stopping him..."_

Her eyes sunk as she considered the possibility that perhaps, just maybe, _"Have I been...wrong about him?"_

In that brief moment of reflection Kairi let slip a "F-Fine" thinking full well that she might come to regret this.

Mew's smile on approach seemed innocent enough. He was gentle with grabbing the sides of her waist too. Kairi never had a boy touch her. She squirmed a little and whimpered but nothing about this felt uncomfortable. In fact it started feeling a little warm down where he touched. Mew looked her in the eyes and sounded oblivious to what he was doing as he said, "Now try and resist me without using your arms or feet."

"Huh...? W-Whoa!" The next thing Kairi knew she was being lifted off the ground.

Mew held her three feet off the ground. Compared to his overcompensating sword Kairi knew she must've felt light as a feather. Heck she could feel that weightlessness herself, and it left her heart in a flutter.

"_O-Ok...n-now how do I get out of this?" _As she tried to work that out she felt the thin later of flab on her waist being pinched at. Mew was staring at her stomach while puckering his lips and saying, "Huh, squishy..."

Kairi let out an inflamed gasp and swung her knee right up into Mew's nose. The boy staggered but unfortunately let go of her. And there was nowhere for her to go but down...

"Gack!" Kairi uttered to curse herself as she fell on her tush once again. Mew had worse luck and collapsed flat on his back, where he proceeded to grumble a sigh of, "Me and my big mouth."

He then sat right back up. Kairi wanted to bark at him but the feeling of warmth, no matter how brief it was, placated her long enough for Mew to say, "Sorry. My bad."

He was then able to bring up the point of that little demonstration, "See how easy it was for me to lift you though? If you put some strength into your legs you would've forced me to use more upper body strength to lift you. And then my own legs would be susceptible to a kick."

"I guess that makes sense..." Kairi grumbled, still fuming internally at his earlier remark. As Mew got up she looked at him and wondered, "But aren't you like, always fighting at your best? Why all these fancy tricks when you can just overpower someone and get on with it?"

Mew blinked at her oddly a few times then wandered over to an unfilled note. He whipped up a pencil and started writing something down where Kairi couldn't see. Kairi glanced at the mirror then stood up to get a better vantage point. A near success on her tip-toes was foiled by Mew slapping the note to obscure it.

"No spoilers allowed." He said slyly.

Kairi lowered herself and was all like "Whatever" about it. From there Mew changed subjects in the blink of an eye, "Say I've been giving it some thought and realized...I don't really know how Aurians fight."

He wagged his hand out and clarified, "I-I mean obviously I have watched them but like, I don't really know how you learn to fight. Self-taught? Mandatory class? Etc?"

Mew's bumbling guesses aggravated Kairi into saying, "Couldn't you have read a book on all that?"

Mew coolly replied, "I prefer to learn things hands-on."

"Have you ever read a book in your life?"

"...Do mangas count?" Mew said shamelessly.

"You're hopeless," Kairi sighed and then in a moment of pity said, "Fiiine I'll tell you but only once so you better listen up!"

Kairi closed her eyes and wagged a finger up by her face. She peered open for just a moment to see Mew sitting on the mat and leaning his head in like a child during show and tell. Feeling embarrassed for herself for enabling his behavior, she got straight to the point.

"Aurians are taught at a young age about the four styles of combat. And those are Offense, Defense, Projectile, and Body."

"With Offense you learn how to bolster the strength of your weapons via adding aura to them, along with creating separate constructs for weapons that an Aurian can't manufacture here in Sancturia, such as guns, cannons, etc."

"Defense is taught to the cowards who think that summoning a wall around their bodies is the best way to solve their problems."

"Projectile was once considered an offset of Offense but eventually grew to become its own subject. As you can no doubt imagine, it focuses on long-range uses of aura. The average Aurian can fire a projectile up to about a kilometer away from their body, but the stronger an Aurian is the further it goes. The farthest recorded projectile is said to have reached the moon."

"And finally there's Body. That style focuses on augmenting your body parts to increase their durability, offense, and speed. Its the hardest class and not very many Aurians tend to gravitate towards it."

Kairi finally opened her eyes and saw Mew grinning from cheek-to-cheek. She grumbled at him, "Did you get any of that?"

Mew nodded and said, "Oh totally! Offense, Defense, Projectile and Body. Those are the four Aurian fighting styles."

He then perked up a little and remarked, "Its just that you put that so eloquently. Why can't you talk like that all the time?"

Kairi took in a deep breath and dug her fingers into her elbows, "I will kill you I swear to god..."

Mew then tilted his head and wondered aloud, "So you lean more towards Offense right?"

"Yes." Kairi replied bluntly.

"Why not any of the other styles?"

"I don't need them." She claimed with the utmost certainty.

Mew let out a dragging sigh and then stood up and wagged his hand towards her, remarking in as courteous a tone as he could muster, "You could probably stand to learn a little more about Defense. Maybe check that class out next time you're at school."

Kairi glared at him and remarked, "School's out for the year. We're on our summer break."

Mew suddenly perked his eyes up and said "You are?" before tapping a foot on the ground and looking up at the ceiling, "Lost track of time there...Its June already huh?"

He then waved his hand up from his chest and asked, "What grade are you in anyways?"

"What does ANY of this have to do with training?!" Kairi yelled impatiently.

Mew leered back and grumbled, "I'm just trying to chat. Golly, don't need to pop a blood vessel on me now..."

Kairi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and whispered out, "I'll be in the 11th Grade next year."

"Really?" Mew stood there looking momentarily gazed, then waved his hand around once and remarked, "So you're about...16? 17? That's about as old as I am, wow..."

Kairi looked at him with an assumption of mockery in his tone of voice, "And what's **that** supposed to mean?"

"I-I honestly pegged you as older than me..." But there wasn't any of that. He was genuinely surprised, and perhaps a little nervous too.

In fact he changed subjects really fast after learning that, bringing mention to Kairi, "S-So anyways, back on track here. Next we're going to cover weakpoints."

Kairi blinked and tilted her head with a mutter of "Huh?" before wondering out loud, "Didn't we already do that with the face talk?"

"Yeah we did. Sort of. But there's more to a person than their face y'know," Mew then closed his eyes, bracing himself for what he was about to say, "Truth be told uhh...While the face is the best target to aim for, its still one of the hardest to hit in the heat of battle."

"Then why did you even bring it up?!" Kairi's anger was something Mew was well-prepared for. But Kairi was more than ready to punch him in the gut for wasting time.

In quick response Mew widened his eyes and remarked, "Because its still important to know that."

Kairi narrowed her eyes and mentioned, "These lessons of yours are all over the place. You suck at this."

Jovially the boy grinned and forced out a sigh, "You got me. I actually flunked out of getting my Teacher's Degree. I am, as you say, a complete...and utter..._fraud_."

After that sharp-tongued bit of teasing Mew winked one eye open and chuckled, "It may seem unfocused now but it'll all come together eventually. Trust me."

He then quickly resumed focus by asking, "Now the elbows and knees are easier to hit in the heat of battle, but what are some other weak points you can think of?"

Kairi stared down at Mew's legs and smiled maliciously, "The balls."

Mew wincing at her saying that was a highlight of Kairi's day. Mew nervously said, "Y-Yes they are but..."

He pointed down at her legs and remarked, "It'd hurt just as much if someone hit you down there."

Kairi looked down and then up at Mew, who gave her a knowing smile and fluttered his hand up all the way by his face. This time, Kairi had to concede the point to Mew, as much as it pained her to say it.

"Fiiiiiiiiiine."

Mew got to a less uncomfortable subject by asking, "Do you think you can tell me why its important to attack someone's weak points?"

"So you can make your opponent get on their knees and beg for their lives?" Kairi said with a sneer.

"Yes actually!" Mew snapped his fingers proudly at Kairi, taking her by complete surprise as he elaborated, "Thinking of a fight as like standing on a balance beam. The first to fall flat on their face loses right?"

"R-Right but..."

"You never want someone to be standing at your eye level. Any good opponent will easy be able to match you blow-for-blow. But if you make them lose their balance, knock 'em down on their knees? Then it'll be so much harder for them to retaliate."

Mew snapped his fingers out and drew a pointer finger forward like a gun aimed at Kairi's face. Playfully pretending to pull the "trigger" he whispers "Bang!" and then remarks, "And that's when you're free to whale on their face."

"_...S-So it does all tie together?" _Kairi was taken more than a little aback by how well Mew brought the face talk back into the big picture. The boy smirked at her as he put his hand down. When he crossed his arms she thought, _"...No. I refuse to accept it. There's not a single clever bone in that idiot's body."_

Mew then suddenly said, "Alright I think that's enough talk for now."

He swung his right hand out and Kairi heard some rattling from behind. She turned back and saw the coffin crack open and her staff went flying straight at her. She caught it in her hands and was pushed a couple feet back, where she stared blankly at her weapon.

She turned around and Mew remarked, "Now take a moment or two to practice what I taught on the dummy."

Kairi gripped her staff in both hands and pointed it at Mew. He closed his eyes and chuckled, "The other dummy, dummy."

He stepped aside and with a flick of the wrist dragged one of the wooden dummies onto the mat. He then started walking for the stairs. Kairi pivoted her body to follow him and remarked, "And where are you going?"

Mew glanced over his shoulder and replied, "Gonna get a drink. I shouldn't be gone long."

Kairi pouted and then faced the dummy hesitant to take a whack at it. Then her heart skipped a beat as Mew suddenly shouted, "Hey Big Green! How's the chest wound treating ya?"

She spun right back around and saw Mew standing in the shadow of a familiar, if unwanted, guest. Kairi didn't hear the brief conversation the two had as she spaced out from shock. After Mew passed the guest by and headed up the stairs Kairi turned back on the dummy and tried to focus on hitting it.

But then she heard footsteps slowly approaching, and a knock on the plaster wall. What was once a voice of comfort for her now left her in goosebumps as they asked, "May I come in?"

Kairi squeezed her staff and tensed up. Her eyes darted to the mirror where she saw Gabriel's reflection coming from the bottom of the staircase. He was out of his armor and back in his civilian clothes, with his skin lacking that green tint and a bunch of bandages covering his chest and arms.

Kairi whacked the dummy on the side of the head and muttered, "I don't know...can you?"

She cautiously watched Gabriel come a couple steps closer in the mirror, stopping with his toes up against the mat. Kairi whacked the dummy's face two more times and then swung in a curve towards the left hip.

Gabriel crossed his arms, using one to prop up his hand upon his chin. With a smile he said, "That doesn't look like what Mew was teaching you."

"...Maybe I don't want to put it into practice." Kairi aired her thoughts dismissively.

"I see..." Gabriel replied calmly.

Kairi glanced to her left. She noticed Gabriel was without his sword. But just because he was unarmed didn't mean a thing. He was strong enough to give Mew a hard time. If he tried to get any closer...

"Kairi..." Gabriel took one step forward and instantly Kairi spun around and whipped her staff at his neck. She pressed the end of it up against it and started breathing heavily.

"Make one move and I'll...and I'll...!" Her heart was racing. A mix of anger and sadness clouded her judgment and made her hesitate. And yet in the face of her rage Gabriel's smile only shrunk, not disappear entirely.

"You'll hit me in the jugular, and I shall breathe no more..." Gabriel gently laid one hand atop Kairi's staff and lowered it to his chest. Then he said to her, "But before you deliver your verdict...May I have a chance to speak in my defense?"

Kairi trembled and lowered her staff to the floor. She hung her head and muttered aloud, "I just don't understand...Why didn't you say anything to me?"

She swung her head up and yelled at him fiercely, "Did you think I'd be too young to get it?!"

"Age has nothing to do with it, Lady Kairi..." Gabriel bent down on one knee so he would be the one getting looked down on as he spoke his remorseful words, "The truth is...I was scared."

To hear this man, who wore honor on his sleeve with every step he took, admit to his own shortcomings without a shred of doubt...It brought Kairi to hesitate at yelling at him further.

"You were...scared?" She muttered.

Gabriel firmly nodded and held his head like that while closing his eyes, "Yes I was. You see, the older you are, the scarier life becomes."

"...And I have been alive for a long, long time. Longer than your mother has been alive in fact," Gabriel then crossed one arm over his chest and remarked, "And long before she was born I swore an oath to her great grandmother that I would look over and protect the future generations of her bloodline from harm."

"And it was for that reason that I swore an unwilling oath of servitude to Gravitus. I hold nothing but contempt for the man's ideals but I knew that if I resisted him your mother would suffer his wrath. Unfortunately, this put me in a very compromising position. In order to uphold my oath I still needed to get close to Lady Auris' children. But I knew that it would only be a matter of time before they inherited her hatred of Gravitus and come to seek vengeance upon him."

"And when that time came I would have no choice but to stand in their way. They would hate me, hurt me, curse my name...As I would stand there and let things be. I thought that what I was doing was the right course of action to uphold my oath, but only now do I realize it wasn't."

Gabriel looked Kairi in the eyes and said, "I was a coward. A coward who lost hope and used lies to hide himself from the truth, and left the people closest to me suffer because of it."

"I do not wish for your forgiveness Lady Kairi. Nor your mother's. But please, allow me to help you train. I now have a renewed sense of hope...And with it a belief that its not too late to ebb the tides of fate."

He closed his eyes once more and said, "But my fate, as of now, I shall leave in your hands."

This was a lot to take in all at once. Yet again Kairi had to concede to Mew's judgment on what was going on. This was in fact a "grown-up" thing that Gabriel had to deal with. His struggles, his conflict, Kairi couldn't even begin to imagine what it had been like for him.

"_If I was in his shoes...W-Would I have been able to last as long as him?" _That was the only question Kairi could ask herself as she put her staff up above her head and looked down at Gabriel's own.

"_Nothing he said changes what he did...He lied to us. Hurt us. Who knows what else he's keeping hidden? Why __**should **__he be trusted now?" _These thoughts were not said directly by Kairi, but they were what she was feeling.

Her body quivered under pressure and she gulped deeply in turn. With the shadow of her staff lingering over Gabriel's head she swung it right down as he didn't even budge an inch.

But what started out looking like a lethal hit ended on a harmless bonk on the head. Kairi held her staff against Gabriel's head as he lifted it up and looked confused.

Kairi bit her teeth down and then quickly bonked him on the head three more times, all the while telling him, "Stupid! Asshole! Idiot!"

"E-Excuse me?" Gabriel stuttered in flaccid surprise.

Kairi widened her eyes and yelled at him, "I was so mad at you! A-And then you have the nerve to say all that and expect me to decide your fate?!"

Kairi raised her staff and bonked Gabriel one more time on the head for good measure. Having exhausted herself she caught her breath and said raggedly to Gabriel, "...I-I can't do it. I just can't..."

She dropped her staff on the ground and waved her hand up to get Gabriel to stand. She then forced her arms around his waist and whispered, "I can't lose anyone else..."

Gabriel put one arm around Kairi's head and then the other on top of it. He held her close for a few long seconds and then remarked, "Then I am not going anywhere. That shall be my personal oath to you, Lady Kairi."

When the embrace has ended the two part and Kairi picks up her staff. She looks up into Gabriel's eyes and finds her vision watery. She wipes her face dry, shakes her head, and turns to her side to look at all of Mew's notes on the mirror.

"...Gabriel, do you think Mew is full of shit?"

The man turned his head and drew a blank on his face. He walked over to the notes and plucked one off the mirror to look it over. With a hearty chuckle he remarked, "He is many things, but when it comes to fighting..."

He plants the note back where it was and turns around to finish, "He is a one-of-a-kind teacher."

Kairi slumped over and grumbled, "So what you're saying is...I should listen to what he has to say."

"Not everything he says no. But that is what I shall be here for. To offer up my knowledge and correct his mistakes."

Kairi had half a scowl as she looked aside and spoke her thoughts clearly, "I don't like him. He's obviously up to something."

"I've encountered a lot of unique individuals in my time," Gabriel turned to the stairs and while rubbing his chin gave a rather scathing review of the boy, "And he is definitely..._unique_, I'll grant him that."

"He sure is taking a long time getting that drink though..." Kairi pointed out.

"That's fine by me. That shall give you time to put your training into practice on a live target."

"Huh?" Kairi turned and saw Gabriel walk onto the mat and stand right in front of her. He laid his arms by his hips and summoned his sword, sheath and all, by his left one in a quick flash of white light.

"Try and land one hit on me Lady Kairi. If you can do that before he returns, I shall tell your mother to make her world-famous cake."

Kairi stumbled back a bit at his indomitable presence and said, "H-Hit you? Can I actually...?"

"You must become stronger if have any hope of making it past my comrades let alone defeat Gravitus. But do not fear..." Gabriel smirked as he drew one hand towards his blade's hilt, "I do **not **bruise easily."

Kairi smiled and held her staff before her waist in both hands. She then confidently told her sparring partner, "We'll see about that. You don't know how tough I am!"

"Hahaha. With a moxie like your mother's I have no doubts about your strength..." Gabriel pulled the blade an inch out of the sheath and exclaimed, "Now come! Show me what you have learned thus far!"

In the quiet comfort of home Kairi sparred with Gabriel. Little did the two know though was that Auris was watching them from the shadows of the staircase, wearing a proud smile towards the both of them...

_Next Time: First Day of School_


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Get Schooled**

After leaving the basement behind Mew headed out of the Aurora household and did not look back. As he took his first few steps on his mysterious solo trek he said to himself, "This'll give 'em time to hash things out."

He looked ahead and remarked, "I, on the other hand, still got a mission to fulfill."

He crossed his arms and looked to the sky, "Lets see now...I should probably scout out Sancturia for more info on Gravitus. But where to start?"

Mew shuffled through his memory banks for a moment and found he got his answer not too long ago. As the metaphorical lightbulb went "Ding!" he raised a finger and exclaimed, "Aha! The school, of course!"

"It might be summer time but there still oughta be a teacher or two working at summer school. I bet they'd be able to direct me to the educational materials Gravitus force feeds them. That should give me more of a peek into the man's character."

After nodding at his brilliant idea Mew glanced back and thought, _"I should be quick though. They'll notice if I'm gone too long."_

Even Mew knew not to trust his intuition to guide him this time. Getting handy directions from the townsfolk only took a friendly approach and quick question or two.

Thanks to their help Mew wound up on the South side of the city, not far from where he first arrived. There he found a massive one-story building that was more wide than long. In fact, Mew could sense that it was shaped sort of like a "T".

The school's overall size and shape wasn't what surprised him though. It was the fact that in big bold letters, the school's name was simply called "South Sancturia Academy."

Mew rubbed his chin and snickered, "The designer must've shown great restraint to not call it 'Lincoln High' or 'Washington State University'."

He shook his head and waltzed right up to the front doors. He gave it a couple knocks and then peered through one of the small windows. The halls were empty, dark, and oppressive.

"Just as I imagined it, haha..." The laughter dulled into a sigh as Mew imagined hundreds of students lining the halls, and him among them.

"Haaaa..." After another sigh Mew knocked again and saw no one coming. He then realized, "Wait what am I doing? Even a bat wouldn't hear me knock in these empty halls..."

So he tried "Plan B"...

"**Kssh!"**

And punched through the glass window to reach for the door lock. Careful maneuvering around the broken glass led his hand to a shocking conclusion.

"Oh its already unlocked." Mew's enthusiasm tapered off for a bit. He slowly pulled out, using his powers to fix the window. He whistled innocently and pushed the door open.

He gently closed it and surveyed his surroundings. There were a lot of lockers. Like, a lot of lockers.

"They might as well have called this place Lockertopia." And with that bite of self-indulgent humor Mew wandered to the center of the school's crossroads.

Three directions, three tiers of education. Left led to Elementary School, run by the rambunctious insanity of youth. Right led to the Middle School, the bridge across the gap from youth to puberty. Then straight ahead lied High School, where the pressures of growing up weigh heavily upon the shoulders of the students...As if their studies weren't enough to crush them.

"All in one building? Sounds chaotic," Mew stared forward and tucked his hands in his pockets, "Alright so if I go this way."

He wandered down north for a bit, surrounded by iron-clad lockers. He seemed to be the only one here but the door's condition made that impossible. The door was open. Either summer school was happening or crimes were going down. And as fun as the latter would be to foil as a distraction, it was no doubt the former.

Mew checked each classroom to be certain he wouldn't miss anyone. He remarked after the first dozen checkes, "How many rooms do they need? Sheesh."

His search was proving fruitless until an unexpected source of inspiration passed him by. "Hmm?" Mew took two steps back and looked to the left. There lied the heartless catacombs. The final resting place of countless souls, lured to their ends by succubi made of paper and ink.

"The library..." Mew scowled. He turned towards it and peeked inside. There must've been millions of those little devils disguising themselves as books. All those shelves, the coffins holding them back.

Mew gripped the sides of the doorway and put great effort into trying to pull himself back into the wall. He stretched his neck up, grit his teeth, while his arms locked into place.

"Must...not...read!" Mew 'fought' with all his might against the devil's temptations. But logic triumphed over temptations, as Mew rationalized in his head, "It'd just be a quick peek. I wouldn't actually be reading a book."

And so he quickly loosened his grip on the doors and casually went into the library. He paused for a moment, blinked at his actions just now, and thought to himself, "I really need some friends."

He approached the closest shelf and went for the first book his hand could reach. "Ok, time my Plan B's Plan B. If I can't find a teacher, then these books will have to..."

He pulled out a hard cover book and stared blankly at the cover, "Of Mice and Men?"

He flipped the book over and then tried to peel the cover off. No use. It was on like glue. Mew slowly put the book back and shrugged, "Guess that's fine. Its a fictional tale. Gotta have some of those."

Ignoring the countless plagiarism for now he turned to the left and saw that the fiction section stretched down for about a couple hundred feet.

"And as big as this is," Mew slumped over and sighed, "I bet Gravitus' section greatly eclipses it."

Mew goes on a great journey through the labyrinth of knowledge. There were no children's literature to be found, obviously, but all that removed was one obstacle in his path. The genres of Sports, Health, Comedy, Drama, and so forth cluttered his path the most.

"I just want the History section damn it! ...I really can't believe I just said that." Mew coughed then decided to pluck out a book or two to see what else he might find. For once there actually were some Aurian original titles amongst his findings.

He found a sports book that talked about basketball teams. All originally named, and with their own modified rules to account for their powers.

In the Health section Mew found a peculiar book called "Out of Your Cocoon: The Journey of Aurian Puberty." He dully went "Huh" to it and remarked, "What a weird way to word it."

He admittedly got a tad bit curious and peeked inside close to the middle of the pages. He started skimming the words while strolling down the aisle. But as he got to the end he heard someone shout out "Hey!" and poked his head up.

There was a rather normal looking guy at the door. Short brown hair, buttoned up plaid shirt with tie and slightly disheveled collar, and brown work slacks. He had a bracelet on and thus was clearly an Aurian, and he was a bit scruffy on the chin meaning he was in his later adolescent years. Though really, the guy just looked pretty unremarkable.

Or was Mew decided to judge him, _"Why's thus guy look like he walked off the pages of a harem manga?"_

"Who are you?" The guy asked in a detached rather tired manner.

Mew shuffled the book behind his back, where he dropped it onto the kick of his back heel. From there he leaned a hand on the nearest bookshelf, using the motion to stuff the book back where it belonged. He then crossed legs and with a smirk tried acting natural, "Oh you know...Just a student working over time."

The guy wiggled his finger accusingly at Mew while saying, "Yeeeah right. You'd be at summer classes then."

Mew saw the direction of his finger go towards his arm, "And you aren't even wearing a bracelet."

Mew swung his head towards his arm and went, _"Crap I thought he wouldn't notice!" _

He then tried to spin a yarn to explain this away, "O-Oh I just...left it at home!"

"Nice try," The guy softly disregarded, "Now...I'll give you one more chance to explain yourself before I pull the alarm."

Mew sighed and relented to the guy's all-too serious attitude, "I'm just...trying to find the History section."

The guy's eyes light up with a hint of confusion, "The History section?"

"Yeah. Its my first time in Sancturia so I thought I'd read up a bit on the place." Mew sold his story in as non-suspicious away as he could muster.

"You're a human." The guy sounded more curious than worried.

Mew eased off the shelf and smiled at the guy, "You could say that."

The guy stared at him for a few seconds and then weakly waved a hand to the left to say quietly, "History section's down that way."

"Thanks!" Mew waved his hand up then went to the far left part of the library. Sure enough, the shelves were labeled "History", making him wonder how the hell he missed that.

Before he took a peek at the nearest book he could hear the guy's footsteps coming closer. He turned his head up to the left. He noticed that the guy was carrying a paper bag in his right hand, but more importantly...

"I got it from here. Thanks for you help uhhh..."

"Bobby." The guy replied.

Mew squeezed his lips together and snickered, causing the guy to tilt his head and ask, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. That's just the most normal name I've heard so far." Mew's tone did a poor jobbing hiding his laughter.

Bobby closed his eyes and demanded of him, "Oh yeah? Tell me your name."

Mew paused and tried to think of something cool sounding, coming up with "Sora" after a solid five seconds.

"You're a terrible liar."

"That obvious eh?" Mew pulled his hand out and said, "My name's Mew."

Bobby's lips curled up as he tried to hide a smile. As he shook Mew's hand he said, "That's the weirdest name I ever heard."

"Eh, stones and glass houses, you know how it is," Mew parted hands with this new face and then tried to part ways as well, "Anyways, I got a pretty good idea of what I'm doing."

Before he turned back to the book he saw Bobby shrug from the corner of his eyes, upon which he put his bag down and remarked, "I got an hour to spare. Let me help you out."

"You sure?" Mew sounded surprised.

Bobby glided his fingers along the spines of the books in front of him and joked, "Anything's better than looking after a few rowdy kids."

"Oh you're a father?" Mew suggested while pulling a book off the shelf.

"W-What no, why would you think that?" Bobby spat out sounding offended, "I'm a teacher. Sort-of."

"Sort-of?"

"I'm teaching elementary kids in summer school. Its a temp job as I work on my credentials to become a full-time History teacher, like my mother."

"Ah, that explains it." Mew chuckled and put the book he had back in.

After a bit of book searching Bobby shook his head and stuttered, "I-I'm sorry, you said you're a...human?"

"Yeah why?" Mew replied while focusing solely on the books in front of him.

"I think it should be pretty obvious," When Bobby's response got Mew looking obviously oblivious he remarked bluntly, "Humans don't just fly up here as a vacation spot."

Mew smiled and gave him a quick head tilt, "I'm a...different kind of human."

"You wouldn't happen to be the same guy who got into a fight outside the Pyramid would you?"

"You were there?" Mew asked.

"No but, I heard talk of what happened around town."

"They're talking about me?" Mew suddenly got a little excited.

"Mostly you..." Bobby closed his eyes, sighed, then looked at the bookshelf and murmured, "Forget I said anything. So who are you exactly?"

"That's my little secret." Mew said, taking a page out of Auris' book by sounding a bit like a tease.

"Come on man I'm trying to help you out here, can't you be a little cooperative?"

Bobby sounded dismayed a little, so Mew figured "What the heck" and told him outright, "I'm the Elemental Overlord."

Bobby dropped a five-hundred page hardbook out of his hands and onto his paper bag as he blurted out, "Elemental Overlord?!"

He then widened his eyes and stared down at his bag. Gently pulling the book off he opened the smooshed bag and pulled out a now mushy banana and sighed, "Ah man I was looking forward to that."

Mew waved his right hand around and with a magician's flick of the wrist snapped his fingers and created a fresh banana out of the ether. He handed it off to Bobby and with a sly raise of the brows noted, "This proof enough for you?"

Bobby snatched the banana up but was staring at Mew's face the whole time. Never one for a missed opportunity to gloat a bit, Mew crossed his arms and chuckled, "Cause if not I could show you some real fireworks."

"Not necessary. I believe you," Bobby put his new fruit in the bag and wiped his forehead clear of sweat, "Its just...wow. A living legend's standing before me, in the flesh."

Mew's smile widened and he tried to remain humble saying, "Weeeeell maybe 'legend' is exaggerating it a teeeeny tiny bit."

He then eased up and asked, "So the Elemental Overlord is mandatory learning?"

"Not exactly," Bobby was still a little shaken as he wagged his hand around in circles, "You were supposed to be a myth. A fairy tale passed down by our elders."

"_Fairy tale? Now where have I heard that before..." _Mew peeked out of the corner of his eyes at the books then pointed at them.

"So there'd be nothing on him in the History books eh?"

"Not a word, sorry." Bobby was genuinely apologetic.

"That's alright," Mew faced the bookshelves entirely and mumbled, "Shouldn't be surprised."

Bobby leaned in closer to Mew's face and tried to see things from his perspective. There he asked in docile, curious tone, "Anything specific you're looking for?"

Mew stared up at the upper shelves and floated off the ground to reach for a book. As he pulled it out he answered, "Giiiimme just a moment."

The book he got out was titled "Mein Kampf" and seeing it got him grinning wider than his face could handle. He dropped to the ground, raised the book up high like the Holy Grail and exclaimed, "Aha! Knew it!"

He shoved the book into a puzzled Bobby's face and said, "Only villains would force their students to learn about Hitler!"

Bobby closed his eyes and stated in a smarmy tone, "Ooooor it makes sense to teach students about all manner of history good or bad so they learn not to make the same mistakes?"

Mew closed his eyes partway and twisted his frown to the right. He then quickly put the book back and grumbled, "Yeah you're right..."

He lowers his crossed arms to his waist and scanned the other shelves for materials worth browsing.

"_Nothing but Earth stuff again..." _Upon landing next to Bobby he turned to him to ask, "Does Aurian history have its own section or...?"

Bobby stared blankly at him for a few moments then shook his head and stuttered "C-Could you repeat that?" Mew took his response in stride and replied with emphasis, "DOES AURIAN HISTORY HAVE ITS OWN SECTION OR...?"

"Alright geez I heard you," Now Bobby was merely annoyed, followed by dismayed as he answered, "You'll find a few books if you look hard enough but for the most part-"

"Zippo. Zilch."

"Exactly," Bobby then went on to explain, "A lot of tomes of Aurian history were supposedly lost in a great fire two-thousand years."

"_Ah yes, the tragic 'Gravitus Inferno' of something something A.D." _Mew tightened his arms up against his chest and narrowed his eyes. He didn't give a crap about reading but even he knew that getting rid of books is a terrible thing to do.

But, maybe he was jumping to conclusions in assuming that Gravitus was to blame. It could've been just some random fire, like Bobby said. Given what he's learned so far, Gravitus' motives certainly seemed...complex.

"You mentioned a villain," Bobby suddenly chimed in, "I get the feeling I'm being drip-fed important details here."

Mew grinned and chuckled, "Nah I've told you eeeeeverything I-"

"This has to do with Gravitus, doesn't it?" Bobby's response was both hesitant and solemn. He stared Mew right in the face with his eyelids drooping.

Mew stared back for a little bit. His immediate thoughts went back to something Auris told him last night, _"Do I believe in destiny? Nah."_

A smirk popped up as started rubbing his chin and continued his thoughts, _"But lucky coincidences? Oh. Hell yeah."_

Mew slowly raised one arm up, then threw his hand straight down on Bobby's right shoulder. With the guy looking mildly uncomfortable Mew raised his brows and said in a deep voice, "Hey."

"H-Hey?" Bobby replied.

Mew smiled and peeled his hand off, snapping both his hands up as fingerguns to say, "I think you and I got a lot to talk about Mr. Bobby."

"Cause you've just been hired to be my personal history book." As Mew exchanged the "barrel" of his guns for thumbs-ups Bobby just blinked away at him slowly.

"...So this is where my 3.7 GPA has led me. Mom would be so proud," Bobby picked up his lunch bag and moved past Mew, glancing back only to say, "There's some tables in the back. We can talk there."

Mew and Bobby went and sat down at a small round table surrounded by soft chairs. Mew laid his feet on the table while Bobby dug into his lunch a bit. As Mew expected of someone as vanilla as him, his choice of sandwich was tuna fish.

Once nice and comfy with his arms behind his head, Mew winked one eye open and requested, "So tell me a little bit about your connection to Gravitus."

Bobby paused mid-bite of his sandwich and grumbled, "I-Its not a connection. I just...know a thing or two about the guy, that's all."

While he ate his food Mew thought up his first question. Turns out it was pretty obvious what he needed to know the most, and that is, "Do you think you can tell me why he's littered Sancturia with a ton of stuff from Earth?"

"Hmm, I think it might have something to do with the laws of Earth contact." Bobby replied.

"Earth contact?"

"Yeah. Its not common but there's been plenty of Aurians who've wanted to go down to the surface and see what Earth culture's like," Bobby put down his sandwich and waved a hand out to Mew, "Generally speaking though they've got to wait until they're 20."

"Why 20?" Mew blinked his eyes shut.

"_Mew focus!"_ He yelled at himself before remarking aloud, "N-Never mind that. What you're insinuating is that the Earth stuff in Sancturia is to help Aurians get used to visits down on the surface?"

"Yeah. A few of our people and their descendants almost blew their covers because they weren't properly prepared."

"_Still, seems like a lot of effort to put into something that doesn't happen often." _Mew narrowed his eyes, this answer he found unsatisfactory.

"It sucks," Bobby suddenly said, "I'd love to learn more about Sancturia's past. What kind of clothes did we used to wear? Did we eat similar foods? Who ruled this place before Gravitus?"

Mew knew the answer to that last one, but he wasn't telling. With a slow bob of his head he mentioned, "The only ones who'd probably know are Gravitus and Auris."

Mew's eyes swung wide-open and almost bulged out of his sockets. He went _"Wait I didn't mean to say that!"_ but it was already too late. Bobby was staring straight at him, judging him.

Mew planted his feet on the ground and swung his hands around. His clownish demeanor couldn't distract Bobby long enough. The guy whispered to himself in a melancholic tone, "Auris eh?"

"_Oh you've gotta be kidding me..." _Mew was feeling he'd have to re-evaluate his opinion on Bobby. He was clearly not as "normal" as he was leading Mew to believe.

"Alright, just who are you Bobby?" Mew firmly remarked.

"What?" Bobby suddenly jolted his head upright.

Mew was feeling some glaring similarities to his first encounter with Gabriel and thus found it sound to suggest, "Which Planetary Aurian are you? Jupiter? Saturn? One of the other three?"

"W-What are you talking about?" Bobby was astonishingly confused, in a manner that sounded way too natural for a guy pulling a fast one. But Mew didn't fully believe that.

"I think a lot of Aurians would take pause at learning that they had two immortal people living among them," Mew smirked and winked one eye closed, "One of whom is their leader."

Bobby closed his eyes and washed away the confusion with a sigh. He then put his elbows on the table and lowered his head behind his face, "Not unless their immortality was common knowledge."

"Excuse me?" Mew muttered.

"I should've known. The Pyramid. The Elemental Overlord. Gravitus. All of it leads back to Auris." Bobby let out a long sigh.

Mew laid back and let Bobby speak his mind for him a bit. He expressed his opinion in a somewhat coarse manner, "I bet Auris never told you her nickname."

"Or much about her at all." Mew joked.

"She's known across all of Sancturia as 'The Harlot Heretic'."

Neither of those words were very flattering. Even hearing the first word, despite being on the other end of her 'shenanigans', disgusted Mew a little bit.

"She's the one who voices her distaste of Gravitus the most, making her a 'Heretic'. And she's a 'Harlot' because-"

"Don't need to get graphic, I get it." Mew bluntly remarked, "But why is Auris targeted for her immortality and not Gravitus?"

Bobby went silent, but the facts spoke for themselves, and Mew wound up saying in his stead, "Its because he's the ruler and she's not."

"That's not...!" Bobby said through biting teeth as he stood up off his chair. He then laid his hands on the table and curled them into fists.

"Damn it, why did **you **have to come here..." He murmured as he sat back down, no doubt expecting Mew not to hear him.

After a bit of silence Bobby leaned back into the seat of his chair and remarked, "If you know what's good for you, you'll go back home Mew."

"No can do. I made a promise to Auris that I'd kick Gravitus' ass but good." Mew replied in a jovial tone.

"...Even if it might end up being the wrong thing to do?" Bobby murmured, sitting back upright.

"Look Auris is...She's not exactly..." Bobby sucked his lips in and then spat out what he wanted to say rather quickly, "I don't think she's that bad a person."

Mew nudged his brows a couple times and remarked, "Oh ho so you're familiar with her?"

Bobby had this grizzly scowl as he responded, "I really hope you're not suggesting..."

"No no!" Mew yelled, doing a very lame job hiding his own experience in the matter, "I-I was just meaning in a 'friend of the family' sort of way."

Bobby closed his eyes, crossed his arms and remarked, "Right, I get ya."

He then brought up something that Mew wasn't expecting, "I have a job. I'm working towards a lifetime career. I'm young, I'm healthy, my parents are alive...I have plenty of friends and things to do in my spare time..."

He paused for a moment and grumbled, "And its all thanks to Gravitus."

It was the kind of tone that you _don't _want to use when you're praising someone. Mew sat up, looked him in the eyes and accused him outright, "And yet you don't _sound_ thankful."

Bobby opened his eyes slightly. The slow pace he rose with suggested he was tired. And then he hung his hands on the lip of the table and replied, "You ever had that feeling in the pit of your gut that something was just...wrong?"

"_Ever since I got here..." _Mew kept locked in his head.

"That's the feeling I've had for the last two years. But you're the first person I've felt comfortable mentioning this too."

"Not even to your parents?" Mew sounded surprised.

"Does it _sound_ like Sancturia welcomes dissent towards Gravitus?" Bobby's quick to point out.

"...B-" Before Mew got any bright ideas he was even quicker to say, "Because he's given us so much and asked for nothing in return."

"**That's** why the defiant ones are shunned and targeted for ridicule." With that Bobby leaned back and sighed.

"_There's still one thing missing here," _Mew thought before he asked, "This suspicion had to start from somewhere Bobby. Come on, tell me what you know. It'd really help make a difference."

Bobby leaned on the left side of the chair and propped a hand up by the side of his face, mumbling to himself "Make a difference huh...?" before finding the strength to talk.

He sat upright and put his hands flat on the table. He then spoke his thoughts in a concise manner, easy for Mew to digest, "I guess you could say it started more than a couple years ago. But when it happened I was just a dumb kid..."

He stared at Mew and asked him, "Have you noticed how peaceful things are in Sancturia?"

"_Besides whatever's going on with the princess yeah. There's been no police stations, jails, etc..." _Mew slowly opened his eyes and mouth to let out a silent "Oooh" as he figured out the problem.

"Exactly," Bobby seemed to read his thoughts and respond accordingly, "Ever since Gravitus took over there's been no crimes, no wars, nothing...So, why the hell are we required to build weapons in middle school?"

Bobby raised his right hand up and summoned from a flash of light a rapier with a golden hilt and fine silver blade. From one side he could see his reflection, while on the other side Mew could faintly see his. He held it with a scowl and a crass remark of, "I don't like fighting. I'm better off being a teacher...Yet as long as this blade's a part of me I can't shake the feeling that I'm a one step away from fighting a war."

"_A war eh?" _Mew temporarily closed his eyes to get deep in thought.

Bobby dispelled his blade and pulled his hand closer to his chest to show off his bracelet, unaware that Mew wasn't looking as he talked, "It feels weird to say this as a History buff but...It just feels like our Drives and weapons should have been left as relics of the past. They aren't useful anymore."

Mew widened his eyes and let out a harsh scoff. Then he swung his hand down with one hard motion and said, "There's no such thing as a useless power."

"What? T-That's not the point I'm-"

"You're only thinking of your Drive in terms of fighting. I'm sure there's plenty of uses you can get out of it in every day life."

Mew shoved his chair back with his feet and leaned across the table, pawing at Bobby's Drive with an overeager curiosity, "Come on! Show me whatcha got!"

Bobby retracted his hand by his chest and yelled, "Gah! Hold on a second!"

Mew retreated and Bobby sighed out with a blush in his cheeks, "Its called the Bounce Drive."

Mew closed his eyes and waved his hand around excitedly, "See now **that's** a pretty useful Drive! With it you could bounce sound around all over the place like an echo, reach high shelves your shorter friends can't reach...Create a really bouncy funhouse..."

He opened one eye and smirked at the wide-eyed Bobby, "Weapons fine, you could do without those. But don't hate on your Drive stone. Its what makes you you. Without them you Aurians really **would **just be nothing but a bunch of regular humans."

Bobby hid his bracelet under the table and remarked bluntly, "Has anyone ever told you you're weird?"

Mew laughed it off, "Someone's trying their darnedest to set a world record, that's for sure."

He then stood up from his chair and said, "Speaking of which I think I oughta get back to them. I fed them an excuse that I was out getting a drink."

Bobby looked at the clock up on the wall and remarked, "And I gotta get back to teaching. I haven't even finished my lunch."

"Sorry for dragging you aside," Mew said sincerely, "But you've been a **huuuuuge** help."

"I have?" Bobby blinked a few times as Mew turned away and started to head for the door.

But as seemed to be a running theme for Mew, Bobby had one last thing to say to pull him back. Before the first word was uttered Mew rolled his eyes and turned back around with a smile.

"If you get another chance later in say like...a couple days? There's something else I'd like to talk to you about concerning Auris and her family."

Mew clicked his hands up as finger guns and remarked, "Two days, got it!"

And thus after logging that away in his mental schedule Mew made his way out of the dreaded library and down the hall to leave the school for now. He walked a one-way trip to the Aurora household and thought about what he learned from Bobby.

"_The history books in Sancturia were 'burned away' but weapon making is kept around? Sancturia is kept peaceful, but Auris and Kairi are singled out by their people? Gravitus is a tyrant, and yet he's recruited good people like Michael, Maria and Seth without question?"_

Mew was steadily realizing that he was hearing two different stories here about the man who called himself Gravitus. Who was he? A tyrant, or a saint? A peace-keeper, or a warmonger?

"_My gut's telling me he's a bad guy...But some things just ain't lining up here." _

Admist his internal struggle the hazed laughter of the demon in his head spurred to life, and he made a tantalizing remark of, _"A warmonger...Hehehe. If that is what he is then perhaps I'd be wise to join his side once I take you over."_

Mew rolled his eyes and snarked back, "'Once'? More like 'never'."

"_Whatever. As far as I am concerned you are a fool to take either side."_

"But I haven't picked a side yet," Mew remarked nonchalantly, "And I'm not going to. I'll do whatever's the right thing to do. That's all there is to it."

"_And just how far will your justice take you? How long can you handle the strain until despair overwhelms you?" _"D." grinned his soulless fangs across the recesses of Mew's mind while filling the quiet void with his laughter, _"My favorite toys...are those that already come broken."_

Mew rolled his eyes and grumbled, "If you break anything in there I'm adding it to your bill for the month."

"_...Hmph." _The demon slogged away in silence.

Mew arrived back at the Aurora household and made his way for the basement. But while heading down the stairs he realized, _"Wait crap, I said I was getting a drink..."_

So he whipped up a quick glass and filled it with ice cold water, taking a sip of it as he returned to the dojo. There he found Kairi on her butt panting and sweating a bit. Gabriel stood on the opposite side of the mat with his sword sheathed and his stance unwavering.

"You were close that time. But you need to remember to target my weak points." He said in a firm yet soft voice.

Kairi stood up, grabbed her staff and gasped in exasperation, "Do...do you even have any?"

Before Gabriel could answer he turned to the stairs and started to smile.

"Ah, there you are Mew." He said courteously.

Kairi swung her head back and saw him take a drink. Mew assumed a little time with Gabriel would've chilled her out a bit, but that fire in her eyes still burned through him something fierce.

"You've been gone an hour...For a glass of water?!" She exclaimed.

Mew had time to come up with a good excuse for that at least, "I like my water like I like my video games...Man-made and in crystal clear high-definition."

"...We literally have a sink upstairs." Kairi dryly remarked.

Mew just shrugged and walked on over to the mat. He put his glass down on the ground beside it and gave the nod to Gabriel to step aside. The man complied without a word and went on off by the mirror to observe.

Mew glanced at his notes on the mirror and thought on what he was going to do next. With a renewed sense of motivation to press forward in his mission to learn the secrets of Sancturia he smiled at Kairi and told her, "Alright, next up I think you need to learn how to..."

_Next Time: Evasive Topics_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Dine 'n' Dodge**

"DODGE!" Mew thrust his right hand up and Kairi's hands and head retreated for her chest like a frightened turtle.

Mew pulled his hand down slowly and had a bit of a laugh. Kairi straightened up once her heart stopped beating on the tip of her chest.

"What was that for?!" She screamed.

"Good reflexes but you needed to duck down for that." Mew promptly turned for the mirror and double-checked his notes.

"But we'll get the kinks worked out in practice." He swung his head back at Kairi and saw she was feeling skeptic.

"So you want to teach me how to...dodge?" She asked while rolling a hand out by her waist.

Mew softly told her, "Well yeah. You take too many hits head-on princess. Good thing your skin's too tough to be bruised!"

But in her mind his tone was blunt and mocking, so of course she replied with, "I don't need to learn to dodge if my enemies are too beaten up to fight back."

Mew touched his chin then swung the finger out to say, "True but...Guys like Seth show it ain't that easy now is it?"

That quieted her for a moment, and Mew helped ease her doubts by mentioning, "If you learn to dodge attacks it'll leave your opponents vulnerable. Haven't you felt angry when someone dodges everything? Now imagine **them** getting angry instead."

That did bring a smile to her face, which Mew was happy to see. Though he did push the envelop a bit by adding on to that, "And soon enough you'll be so good at dodging that your hair'll turn white and you'll be the one to defeat-"

"Does everything you say have to involve a random reference?" Kairi growled.

"Sorry. Force of habit." Mew coughed a little.

"Uh-uh..." Kairi didn't believe him. What a shocker.

"There's one important thing to learn before we get to that though," Mew lobbed up his pointer finger by his face and said, "Sensing power."

"Huh?" She responded slacking her jaw.

"You..." Mew tapped that finger up to his forehead, "Do not know how to sense your opponent's power."

With a twisted up smile his reasoning was thus, "Cause if you did you wouldn't have picked a fight with me."

"That's totally untrue and you know it." But Kairi was having none of it.

"Yeah, I do!" Mew laughed then resumed a neutral stance. His fists then tightened up by his hips.

"And the best way to learn is from experience."

There was a natural inclination on Kairi's part to backup a little and remark, "Uh uh! No more close contact!"

But Mew quickly gestured to the right and reassured her, "Gabriel's watching. I'm not going to try anything funny."

Gabriel raised his brows and retorted, "Implying you would, were I not here?"

Mew stuttered, "N-No way! I've respected the princess' personal space!"

Mew turned to her and asked "Right?" with some degree of faith in her backing him up.

"You pinched my waist..." But she quickly sold him up the river and now Gabriel's glare would remain firmly on Mew from here on out.

"_Great, now I'm being tag-teamed."_ Mew sighed and tried to stay on track.

"Just summon your staff for a bit." He said dryly.

Kairi pulled one arm out from under her chest and called her staff out. Mew airboxed a few times then pointed one fist at the staff. With a grin he tried speaking in an entrancing tone.

"Close your eyes and let me punch your staff for a while. You'll get the feel of sensing power soon enough."

"One problem," Gabriel stepped up onto the mat, "When an Aurian closes their eyes they can still see."

Mew blinked at him a few times and wondered, "Is that a metaphor or...?"

"Ugh! Why are you so ignorant?" Kairi bemoaned and voluntarily decided to teach Mew a lesson about Aurians, "Our eyelids act as a second lens that block our everything but the aura in our surroundings."

Mew stared at her for a bit and in lieu of him seeming not to understand Kairi tried to invoke his language, "Y-You know. Its like how Lucario did it in that one movie?"

She turned her head aside, complimented by a pout and blush. Mew continued to stare at her until she spun her head back to yell, "Oh come on! Your name's a friggin' Pokemon's! Don't play dumb!"

"I-I'm not," Mew sputtered, then flashed a grin her way, "I just never expected you to say that princess."

Kairi's face turned bright red and she said, "I-I heard it through uhh...cultural osmosis."

"Liar Liar Shorts on Fire." Mew teased with the tone of a school kid.

"Gabriel, can you kick his ass?!" Kairi exclaimed with an equally childish tone.

Gabriel had a blank wide-eyed look. It was as if someone had stolen his soul. After a few blinks it seemed to have returned in time for him to remark, "I'm sorry I blanked out after you said 'Lucario'. What do you need?"

Kairi stood there and mumbled "Never mind".

Mew got right back on track by saying, "Well that's a cool trick and all but sensing aura's different from sensing power."

He glanced at Gabriel and remarked, "Though now I get how you kept attacking after I threw fire in your face."

He then wobbled his right hand around and apologized for that, with Gabriel claiming that he's deal with worse. Mew then puts his fists back up and said, "Alright. Lets get started!"

Kairi was reluctant to close her eyes but upon her doing so Mew went straight in and punched her staff. Fists were swung with a rhythm. A beat like hammers on steel drums. From the second began to the second he'd stop there were no pauses between punches, and no breaths for him to take.

Kairi squirmed at each punch thrown. Mew could only guess if he was doing his job right for a while there. When her brows began to rise Mew finally heard her speak.

"I'm...I'm sensing something!" She blurted in shock.

"What's it feel like?" Mew asked.

'Its...tingly?"

Mew smiled and pulled his fists away, shaking the red tint off his knuckles. He then waved a hand out and said, "Ok open your eyes."

Kairi slowly opened up and looked straight at Mew. He then raised a pointer finger beside his face and remarked, "Keep that feeling in mind from here on out. When your opponent attacks they'll be wearing their power like a suit of armor. Keen awareness of that will help you predict their moves."

"Got it?" He asked with his arms crossed.

"Yeah yeah." Kairi groaned while putting her staff away.

"Good!" Mew hopped, turned around, then landed with his knees bent and fists raised, "Now lets put it to the test, for real this time!"

Kairi tensed up as Mew told her, "Just close your eyes and focus. I'll start slow and try not to aim for the face."

Gabriel could be heard humming deeply to himself as the training session began. Mew looked over Kairi's body to seek out the simplest spot for her to evade his first attack. Then he flexed his knuckles to raise his power slightly. Kairi winced, meaning her senses were attuned.

Mew threw a punch towards Kairi's left hip. She pulled her hips to her right a second late. Mew drew his hand back then swung for her waist. She pulled right back to the left and avoided it. He tried to swing his right leg up to her shoulder and she pressed her whole arm into the side of her chest to avoid it.

"_She's moving too stiffly...Maybe she needs a little shock to the system!" _Mew aimed high and threw a punch at her face. His knuckles grazed her chest and she widened her eyes with a gasp.

"Y-You said you wouldn't aim there!"

"Trust your senses, not what your opponent says." Mew thought that sounded like good advice. Kairi would beg to differ.

After that little scare Kairi's reactions only got worse. Mew held back if he was about to make contact but that didn't make her any less nervous. When he decided to raise a too to her shoulder he found Gabriel grabbing his ankles out of the air.

He turned to face the man and his quiet glare. Once his firm grip released Mew stumbled back on one foot and planted the other one down. Gabriel stayed at Kairi's side and gently used his fingers to signal her to open her eyes. Then he turned his full attention unto Mew.

"This isn't working." He remarked.

"What's wrong?" Mew asked, humbly saying to the stalwart samurai, "Sorry. This is my first time teaching someone."

"Lady Kairi is tense. If you're expecting her to dodge her movements must flow like a gentle river." Gabriel then faced Kairi.

She looked at him, swung a hand out at Mew like making an accusation, then asked, "Can't you handle this Gabriel?"

"I cannot," He firmly replied, "My mastery lies in the blade, not hand-to-hand."

Kairi pouted and tilted her head at Mew. He rubbed his chin and came up with a suggestion for Kairi's tension.

"Any chance there's a spa in Sancturia?" It was innocent sounding enough but Kairi glared at him anyways. Gabriel meanwhile shook his head.

"I have a better idea."

He held one hand out and dangled a finger down in a circle towards Mew. Mew pointed at his chest and looked confused. Gabriel then nodded and with a shrug Mew turned himself around.

Mew peeked at Gabriel's reflection in the mirror. He was whispering something to Kairi and she looked shocked by it. Then after a bit of resistance she turned around and took her cap off, followed by slowly removing her shirt.

"Ahem." Gabriel's coarse cough diverted Mew's gaze from the mirror. He then closed his eyes and waited patiently.

"Oooooh...!" Kairi began to release all her stress and woes in a long, deeply pleasured moan. Mew's body tingled and his imagination tried to fill in the blanks. But the event didn't last long. Before he had the chance to picture them both Gabriel spoke up.

"You may turn around now."

Mew was a bit overeager to do so. What he found was Kairi back to normal with most of her face a light shade of pink. All Gabriel would confirm was that "She'll be fine now". The rest would have to be filled in by Mew's adolescent mind.

"S-So I close my eyes..." Kairi murmured while doing so. Mew looked at her and could tell something was different this go around. He looked to Gabriel and got his nod of approval.

So upon resuming his stance Mew reminded her, "Your whole body is vulnerable to attack. Getting hit is sometimes unavoidable. What you want to do is minimize the damage _you_ take, and maximize the damage **they **take. Got it?"

"Just hurry up!" Kairi blurted in a haste.

Mew smiled and cracked his knuckles. He then ran at Kairi and threw a punch at her face. She frowned slightly but moved her head out of the way. He tossed out a few more punches and she managed to avoid them. Her body's movements flowed between each other, just like a gentle river.

When Mew moved on to the kicks she had some more trouble dodging those. She also lost the flow of her movements. So after a couple minutes of this Mew stepped back and let her open her eyes.

"You're getting the hang of it but you tense back up too quickly." Mew's comment got Kairi in a huff and she folded her arms under her chest.

"Well what should I do?" She wondered crassly.

"I guess Gabriel could keep doing...whatever he did."

"If I did Lady Kairi's muscles would turn to jello," Gabriel thus offered an alternative, "Concentrate on your breathing. It'll help you remain relaxed."

"Also," Mew bent down with his elbows on his knees and a hand waved up, "Don't just stand in place and dodge. You'll get more mileage out of moving away from attacks."

"Ok, ok..." Kairi sighed then turned to the samurai and said, "Thanks Gabriel."

"What am I chopped liver?" Mew said. He stood up and put up his dukes, waiting for Kairi to close her eyes.

The training resumed in full force. Mew swung his fists and kicked up his legs. Gabriel's advice helped Kairi a lot. She had a lot more successes over misses. Though her breathing tended to be a little too short and quick. Also, she was still standing in place.

Mew sought to force her to learn, and thus attempted a sweeping kick to her legs. And that's when she smiled and leaped to her left. Before Mew knew it she had summoned her staff and took a whack at his chest. Mew's head jerked forward as he spat out a cough and then dropped to his knees.

Kairi looked utterly baffled as she landed and turned to Mew. "I-I did it?" She muttered softly.

"Haha! Take that!" She boasted as Mew started to pull himself up. She leaned in with a narrowed glare and smug smile just to rub it in more, "What was that about trusting your senses?"

"Yeah. You got me there," Mew smirked and laid a hand on his throbbing chest, "Good job!"

"U-Umm..." Kairi didn't know how to take a compliment and remained pacified by Mew's sincerity.

"This is where you say 'Thank you'." But Mew just had to go and press his luck, which is why he shouldn't have been surprised when Kairi yelled at him to "Get bent!"

Mew winced trying to laugh then walked off the mat groaning all the while. He tapped Gabriel on the shoulder and told him, "Tag out?"

The man pulled away from the mirror as Mew laid back against it. He then walked onto the mat and drew his sword towards Kairi.

"Lets continue where we left off. Remember, concentrate on my weak points."

"R-Right!" Kairi firmly nodded her head and took position in front of the man.

The two trained for an hour while Mew let his wound rest. Then the three of them kept alternating who was on the mat to teach Kairi attacking and dodging.

A few hours went by, breaks included, but Kairi's progress was minimal. By the time the clock hit 6:00 PM she had managed to force Mew to pick up the pace of his attacks a little but failed to get around Gabriel's defense.

She collapsed flat on her back panting and sweating. Mew crossed his arms and said, "That's enough for now. You did good today."

"Did I...?" She gasped, "Cause I feel exhausted..."

"That's normal. Your body's not used to this yet."

Suddenly, from atop the stairs, Auris yelled down, "Dinner's just about ready! Will you be eating with us against tonight Mew?"

Mew looked down at Kairi and said, "I don't know, do you want me to?"

Kairi cobbled up the strength to sit up then waved her arm out at Mew and grumbled, "Whatever, I don't care. But you don't get to speak unless spoken to, got that?!"

Mew smiled then yelled out to Auris, "Yeah I'll be there shortly!"

Roughly ten minutes later they were all at the dinner table enjoying a delicious ensemble of grilled salmon and garlic cheese buns.

Kairi's restriction on Mew kept the mealtime atmosphere quiet and less awkward. But partway into dinner Gabriel looked to the boy and asked, "So where did you really disappear to for an hour?"

Mew pointed his fork at Gabriel and replied with his mouth full of food, "I stopped by the school for a bit."

Kairi almost choked on her food trying to ask, "Which one?"

"Which one?" Mew gave it some thought then snapped his fingers, "Oh yeah, South side! Duh!"

"Oh why, that's the one Kairi goes to." Auris said with a smile.

"Mom!" Kairi shouted before turning on Mew and demanding to know, "Why were you there?!"

"Relax, I didn't learn any embarrassing secrets," Mew responded with a chuckle, "Though I did meet a guy who seemed close to your family. He helped me find a few documents to learn up on Gravitus. Called himself Bobby?"

"Bobby...?" Kairi whispered and began to hang her head. She fiddled with her food until Gabriel spoke up.

"This conversation reminded me..." He turned to the downtrodden girl and asked with a smile, "How are you doing in school these days?"

"F-Fine." She said, avoiding his thoughtful gaze.

Auris pulled her fork out from between her lips and pointed it towards Gabriel, "Despite missing a few days my daughter maintain an 'A' average for the year."

"Mom!" Kairi yelled while slamming her hands on the table.

"That's wonderful to hear." Gabriel wore his smile with pride.

Kairi puffed her cheeks and let out a big long groan of, "You both suck!"

She then turned on Mew and saw him ignoring his food to put his full attention on her. Her pupils shrank and she looked intoxicated by embarrassment.

"W-What?" She muttered.

"I just...wasn't expecting you to be a genius." Mew voiced in a sincerely complimenting tone. But his choice of words, certainly, left a lot to be desired.

Kairi reared her head back and the blush in her cheeks got worse. She quickly picked up her plate and slid the remainder of her food into her mouth. With her cheeks stuffed she struggled to chew while getting out of her chair and making a run out of the kitchen.

Mew turned back and saw her run up the stairs. Once she was out of sight he heard Gabriel and Auris sigh. They both had their eyes closed and shook their heads in unison.

"Ah, the frailty of youth." Gabriel remarked.

"And the pittance of ignorance." Auris added on not a second later.

Mew just threw his arms up by his face and wondered aloud, "What? What did I say?"

There wasn't much dinner left to eat by that point anyways, fortunately. Once the delicious meal was wrapped up Mew offered his thanks to Auris by helping her clean up. Afterwards Gabriel had to leave for the night, claiming he had some things to check up on but would come back tomorrow morning. Mew then made his way to the couch to prepare for another night's sleep.

Though he wouldn't be going quietly into the night. As with the prior night, Auris advanced upon the couch opposite of him and sat down. With a playful smile she held up a small bottle of a colorless liquid and waved it around a little.

"Want a drink?" She offered. Mew stared at the bottle with an unamused expression then closed his eyes.

"I know what alcohol looks like." Was his way of politely saying "No."

Auris popped the lid off the bottle and downed the whole thing in about ten seconds flat. Mew slowly widened his eyes towards this sight and once she slammed the bottle down on the table she wiped a bit of liquid dribbling off her lips with her sleeve.

"I'll try again in five years." She claimed.

Mew shook his head and with a terse smirk thought, _"How __**does**__ she stay this young looking?"_

"So? How did things go today?" Auris remarked in a forward, casual manner.

"Oh you know..." Mew leaned back into the couch and wiggled his shoulders, "Just another day in my increasingly crazier life."

"Hehe," Auris giggled with the back of her hand up to her face, "Yes well. A little excitement is never a bad thing."

She then slowly nodded her head and remarked, "Thank you."

"Huh? For what?"

"For what you did for Gabriel. It has been a long time since I've seen him act so...natural around me."

"Oh yeah," Mew bobbed his head a couple times and remarked, "No problem! ...Though I hardly did anything."

"Maybe. But sometimes all it takes is a tiny bit of effort to make a huge difference."

Auris raised her head up to stare straight into Mew's eyes, "Speaking of efforts. You went out of the way to find information on Gravitus?"

"I thought it'd be a good idea to figure out what Gravitus' modus operandi is," Mew planted the back of his head against the back of the couch and let out a long sigh, "Buuut it still feels like I'm missing a crucial detail."

"And that is?"

"The kind of person he is. I'm getting totally different impressions from the people I've met. Some guys owe their livelihoods to him, others despise him."

"History is filled with many people like that," Auris slanted her eyes and had this odd smile as she made note of, "Or do you think that people like Atilla the Hun and Adolf Hitler earned their follows through hypnotism?"

Mew shook his head. Though considering the insanity of important historical figures apparently being Aurians in disguise, it wouldn't be THAT odd. Auris then closed her eyes and held a hand out towards him.

"Charisma is the scariest tool a person can wield. The power to coerce one's will into following a single ideal..." Auris' smile widened with her eyes appearing withdrawn of emotions, "Its dread has left a permanent stain on many a world."

The glimmer in her eyes returned as she creased out a smile across her face and raised her head towards Mew, "But, that doesn't mean they can't be cleaned. Never stop searching for the truth Mew. You're already on the right path."

"Well...that's good to know." Mew breathed a sigh of relief, as for a moment Auris was starting to scare him.

"Now, onto the subject of my daughter," Auris tried to inject a little harmless teasing into this tense atmosphere by saying, "Did Gabriel's massage on her get a rise out of you?"

"W-What?!" Mew pulled his arms and legs back and looked like a cat pinned to a wall.

"Heeheehee!" Auris cackled like a witch stirring a brew, then laid the back of her hand up to her chin and remarked, "I kid, of course. But what of the training? Is everything going ok, in your opinion?"

Mew steadily re-positioned himself and then bobbed his head left and right alongside his hands, "Its so-so. She's showing some potential but..."

"She has trouble listening to **you**."

"...Yeah?" Mew awkwardly remarked.

"Hmmm, I wonder why that may be?" Auris said while tickling her grinning face with her fingertips, causing Mew to glare at her.

He then waved his hand out and wondered, "Can you help me out with her?"

"No can do." She quickly replied.

"Not a fighter?" Mew assumed.

As Auris withdrew her bracelet'd wrist into her sleeve and closed her eyes before responding, "My style of combat isn't good for teaching with."

"Yeah but like, not even the basics? She couldn't even dodge properly until today."

"You're doing fine as is. Just keep it up." Auris got up from her seat and trotted up to Mew, laying a hand flat up against his chest, causing him to grimace.

"And make sure you give this plenty of rest." She patted the wound a couple times and then turned and made her way for the stairs. With nothing left to do for the night Mew slowly laid down on the couch and stared up at the ceiling.

After a few hours of silent recollection on his part the sun disappeared into the night. And the boogiemen come out when night falls. Unfortunately, Mew's particular boogieman was more of a flea.

"_So that is what happened to that witch...Ohohoho, now I see what's going on."_

Mew raised his eyes and said tiredly, "What now 'D.'?"

"_And here I thought you were more perceptive than this..." _The demon lazily taunted away before dishing out his observation, _"Her bracelet. There were no stones on it."_

"Huh?" Mew wound back his memories a bit and realized, "Holy shit you're right. What the hell?"

"_Yet another lie for your ears..."_

"Hang on a second. So what? The Planetary Aurians don't have them either."

"_Hmph, point taken..." _When it seemed the demon would relent, he came back swinging, _"__**But**__...I distinctly recall her having two stones. One was broken before I was sealed away..."_

"And the other one?" Mew, as much as he hated to give the demon the time of day, was interested to hear what he had to say.

"_If I had to guess, 'Gravitus' broke that one." _

"...Huh," Mew laid his hands behind the back of his head and muttered, "And the point is?"

"_She doesn't want to admit that she's weak and feeble. So in lieu of power she's drawn you in with honeyed words and wrapped you around her leash. You, the perfect little agent of vengeance..."_

Mew rolled his eyes and said, "Good night 'D.'"

"_Night night. Sleep tight. Don't let your doubts and fears bite~"_

As the demon silenced himself Mew turned his head to the left and jolted a bit upon finding Kairi standing on the middle of the staircase. She was wearing dark green pajamas with a light hint of plaid. The shirt was too small for her though, and part of her midriff was visible.

"Oh hi there!" Mew tried to extract a pleasant conversation out of the girl.

"...Who were you talking to?" She responded.

"H-Huh?" Mew stammered while in his head he went, _"Crap she heard that?!"_

"D." has one last laugh at Mew's expense watching him hasten to explain what Kairi saw. He rubbed the back of his head and chuckled, "Oh I was just...talking to myself."

"Yourself." Kairi narrowed her eyes a bit in suspicion.

"Yes. It uhhh...helps me empty my thoughts before I sleep?" Mew then sniped her obvious answer by going, "Don't say it."

Kairi went to the bottom of the stairs and remarked, "And what? You call yourself 'D.' when you're talking to yourself?"

Mew closed his eyes, grinned, and told her, "O-Oh no that's an...Abbreviation. For...Dreams!"

"Dreams." Kairi's eyes somehow narrowed further.

"Yeah. You know? Wishing myself 'Good night dreams'?"

She sighed and started walking towards the kitchen, muttering a "Whatever" as he passed him by. When Mew tried to open his eyes Kairi pulled his pillow out from under his head and slammed it atop his face.

"N-No looking damn it!" She exclaimed, sounding more embarrassed than angry.

Under the cover of darkness Mew smiled and heard the girl remark, "I-I'm just getting a cup of water. Stay down until I'm upstairs."

Mew just whistled the time away. He heard the water running, her footsteps approaching and leaving, and finally she made her way up the stairs. But a sudden stop in movement prompted Mew to pull the pillow off. He saw Kairi standing in the middle of the staircase, where she turned to face him.

The moonlight outside made her silhouette appear translucent. She opened her mouth and whispered so quietly that even Mew couldn't hear her. Then her cheeks turned red, she turned away, and said in a huff, "I-I said stay down!"

She stormed off back to her room and with his curiosity tickled Mew laid the pillow under his head and tried to doze off to sleep. Tomorrow would be another new day, and he was looking forward to seeing what the next couple of Planetary Aurians would bring to the table.

_Next Time: Raw Power, Raw Emotion_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Clash of Raging Fists**

Sleepy time went by a lot better for Mew this time around. In fact when he woke up he found that he had overslept by an hour.

"9:00?!" Mew jolted upright at the sight of the clock. But he forgot how stiff his sleeping arrangements were and as a result suffered a kink in his neck.

"Ow!" He quickly rubbed the sore spot and glanced down at the couch, "Good for sitting...Oof! Baaaaaad for sleeping."

Once his joints were in order he stood up off the couch and looked into the kitchen. Kairi was having a hearty breakfast of eggs and cereal, all dressed in her normal day clothes.

"Morning!" Mew spoke, pulling Kairi's eyes away from her plate. She looked spooked for a moment then darted her eyes back down to the plate.

"G-Good morning." She said, sounding a bit tired.

Auris then leaned her head in past the kitchen door, her eyes closed and smile pleasantly presented.

"Are you going to eat today?" She asked with a high pitch in her voice.

Mew sniffed once and absorbed the scents of farm-fresh eggs and bacon on the pan. Yet again the temptation of God's greasy delights confounded his sense of reason, but at those crossroads he found the strength to proclaim, "S-Sorry! I'll have to pass again!"

Auris pouted like a puppy dog and slowly pulled her head back in. This left Mew a clean look at Kairi fluttering her eyelashes his way.

"You're skipping breakfast? That's crazy. Its like, the most important meal of the day!" She exclaimed, utterly flabbergasted.

"Your concern's noted but unnecessary," Mew started twisting his upper body around to stretch his arms, "I don't need to eat. But boy do I sure love me some food!"

"What are you a plant?" Kairi asked while her jaw dropped.

"I'm sturdy oak that soaks up adrenaline and drips out sweat!" Mew cheerfully declared.

"Or a weed that grows when your ego's fed." Kairi grumbled.

After Mew bent down to touch his knees a few times he started to move for the door. He waved back and said, "Anyways! I'm off to the Pyramid for a couple rounds with the Planetary Aurians! See ya later!"

"Pbbbbllltt!" Kairi vibrated her lips spitting out her food then slammed her fork on the table and pushed her chair back.

"H-Hey!" Kairi almost tripped catching up to Mew, who turned around at the door to greet her with a joke.

"Gonna give me a kiss, for luck?"

Kairi raised her right fist and scowled, "Yeah. Pucker up asshole."

"Haha..." Mew waved his hand out and leaned the other by his ship, "Relax. We'll pick up your training later, promise!"

"Nuh-uh! You're taking me with you!"

"...You're not ready yet." Mew sighed firmly and shook his head.

"Oh yeah?! Well..." Mew fully embraced the possibility that this would become a long-winded confrontation. But then Kairi's eyed darted away from him as she pouted.

"M-Maybe I'll learn more from watching you fight." Her voice was soft, barely even a whisper. But the message was crystal clear. Mew stared at her a little while and the blank look in his eyes must've pissed her off.

"This is a one-time offer! Take it or leave it!" She yelled with her face bright red.

"Sure, why not? What's the harm?" Mew then raised his head and hollered, "Heat that Auris?! **We** are heading out!"

"Be safe dearie!" Auris yelled back affectionately.

"M-Mom!" Kairi huffed in embarrassment. She then turned back at Mew and saw him with a goofy grin. Mew got clocked in the gut by her elbow and she walked right past him out the door.

He held his gut for a bit and chuckled, "G-Good thing I got my rest..."

He then followed her outside, where the two ran afoot of Gabriel, who pleasantly stood and greeted them with, "Ah, off and running already?"

Mew looked to him and said, "Yep. Thought I'd take a walk to Jupiter and back. Maybe Saturn too, if my legs're up for it?"

"Ah..." Gabriel slowly nodded his head then turned his attention to Kairi for a brief moment.

"Mew..." His tone was coming off as judgmental prematurely. But Mew knew exactly what to tell him.

"Its ok, she said she's just going to watch and learn."

"Is that true?" Gabriel asked of Kairi.

"Y-Yeah..." She replied.

Gabriel gave his nod of approval but followed that with a cautionary bit of advice to Mew, "Just be careful. Jupiter and Saturn are..."

He stared deeper into Mew's eyes and tried not to come off as rude saying, "Well...they are..._different_, to say the least."

"Got-cha!" Mew replied, flicking a couple fingers off his forehead as a gesture of farewell, "We'll be back to train some more within an hour!"

"Then I'll wait right here." Gabriel said, leaning back against the house like a guardsman.

Mew and Kairi thus went and climbed their way up the Pyramid until they reached the sixth floor. There they found all manner of weight lifting equipment. Machines designed to work the biceps, triceps, quads glutes abdomen and everything else in-between filled every empty space between the stairs and the portal.

Circumventing this obstacle course of iron-pumping madness took a lot of leg lifting on the two's part. Kairi then threw a crass remark Mew's way to break things up, "Congrats. You're now officially the second biggest musclehead I know."

After she almost stumbled over a dumbbell she said in a huff, "God who needs all these weights?"

"Nothing wrong with getting fit!" Mew cheerfully said.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Kairi presumed an insult from that remark. Mew turned around and chuckled nervously.

"I-I wasn't saying..."

Kairi meanwhile bent towards one of the weights lying around and squinted her eyes.

"200 lbs?" She raised her head haughtily and whispered, "I could lift that."

"Yeah yeah you can show me how ripped you are later." Mew joked.

Kairi stared at him with her mouth completely flat and unamused. She then passed him by with her head still held high. Mew bent down at the weight she looked at and saw that there wasn't a "lbs." after the "200" but rather a "t".

"Well now..." Mew smiled and stood up. And as he walked toward the portal, he observed that it had been the lightest weight in the room.

Kairi was about to enter the portal when Mew pulled her back and said, "Whooooa there."

Before she pitched a fit Mew reminded her, "Unless you wanna become a pancake you should let me go first."

"O-Oh right, Jupiter's..."

"Got the densest gravity, yeah," But there was a bright side Mew could see, "Though considering the other planets it shoooould be fine?"

Mew then waltzed into the portal without an "If", "And" or "But" from Kairi. A few seconds later Mew popped back in and said, "Its all clear! Come on!"

He slipped back through and Kairi followed right after. They arrived on a icy-rock surface overlooking the stars in the depths of space. A "short" distance away lied the gas giant Jupiter, complete with brown-orange atmosphere and pinkish "navel".

Mew propped his hand up to his forehead and was amazed at seeing another planet this close from the outside.

"Man if only I brought my camera...I bet I could make millions."

Mew's observation came to an end as he heard Kairi grunting. He turned and saw her leaning forward, pulling down by the moon's gravity. Her efforts to stand were a great struggle.

"Holy crap I feel like a beached whale!" Kairi then swung her head up and made Mew flinched by saying, "Zip it!"

Mew DID want to make a joke regarding her two "anchors" but knew there was a time and place for that. So instead he said, "Just take a deep breath and focus your power throughout your body."

Kairi hesitated to do just that but found her body quickly standing when she did. After a few blinks she sighed in relief. She then got her turn at viewing the scenery, providing some commentary of her own.

"We're on one of Jupiter's moons?"

"Seems that way," Mew started to rub his chin, "Do you know which one?"

"Ummm..." Kairi swerved her head around, looking at the ground and the other moons surrounding Jupiter.

"Icy crust, cracked surface..." Her final verdict wound up being an unsure proclamation of, "Europa? I guess?"

"Sounds about that." Mew spent a little bit more time looking at the moons when suddenly...

"Huh?" Mew narrowed his eyes towards a growing speck in the depths of space. As it got bigger and closer, it burned up like a descending comet...straight towards them.

"That's no moon!" Mew exclaimed, suddenly throwing his arms around Kairi.

"H-Hey!" She blurted with a blush as mew tackled her to the ground. The "comet" went scorching by overhead and smashed the ground. Mew shielded Kairi from the hard pebbles and chilling dust that flew up from impact. It passed by relatively fast, and once Mew heard the dust settle he lifted his head to see who was responsible.

"G-Get off me...!" But he forgot that he was on top of Kairi, who practically gave him five seconds to comply. Mew hastily stood up and went apologized.

Kairi stood and dusted off her back then joined Mew in glaring at their assailant. The settling dust revealed a deep trench burrowed in the moon's surface about six feet deep at the end. A person hopped out and stretched their arms to the air.

They had light orange skin and short shaggy scarlet hair. Their muscles weren't as thick as Mew was expecting. But boy were they impossible to ignore. They were pronounced and solid as a rock, similar to those on the statues of Greek gods. Their dark-blue jeans shorts threatened to snap under the pressure of their thick thighs. A black tube top shirt left their chiseled shoulders and firm back muscles exposed. Around their neck rested a navy-blue knitted scarf, whose tail fluttered in the breeze left by their impact. There were no socks or gloves to speak of on their person, they were simply happy enough showing off how few scars or nicks were on their knuckles and heels.

"He looks pretty tough..." Kairi noted with her voice kinda shaky.

"He?" Mew looked at her and chuckled, a response that left her befuddled.

"Kick. Ass! A ten-point landing!" The person spoke with a deep, booming voice. Though it could've been as baritone as an opera singer's and it still wouldn't have been able to obscure the femininity in their tone. And when the person swung their head back with a grin and their striking blue eyes it became strikingly clear to Kairi who all this muscle belonged to.

"A-A girl?!" Kairi exclaimed.

The thick muscled gal turned her body around and put one hand on her hip. She positively beamed with an approachable fun-loving attitude that hid a tough, gritty interior underneath all that rock hard skin. She had decently-sized breasts but for once Mew's jaw-dropped more at how she had six-pack abs that could cut diamond.

Looking at this girl got Mew's heart racing. The girl stare at him back and the two's teeth bit down into a fierce competitive scowl. Mew took one step forward, and she was about to do the same. But the trench gave her pause, and her gaze followed it up to where her two guests stood.

"Hrmm, make that a nine-point-five landing..." She shrugged that off then leaped right over the trench. The fierce gravity was a joke to her. She flew like a sparrow the dropped to the ground like a boulder all on her own. Once behind her company she spun around, threw a hand up and yelled, "Sup!"

Mew turned and matched her friendly gesture with a shout of "Yo!"

It took Mew nudging Kairi with his elbow to get her to turn around and meekly say, "H-Hi?"

The girl planted her hand back down and declared, "Awesome!"

The three stood in dead silence for a few seconds with the girl just grinning from cheek-to-cheek. Kairi blinked then threw out an "Ummm" causing the girl to thrust her eyes open and declare, "Oh right! Intro!"

She stabbed a thumb up by her chest and put on an air of professionalism akin to a cop's, "Aurian Jupiter, at your service! Real Name: Noel! Profession: Galactic Patrolwoman! Coolness Rating: 100% Concentrated Badass!"

Her overwhelming attitude felt like the complete opposite of Mars'. She was bona fide confidence personified in every inch of her six-foot tall amazonian body. But Mew didn't even tremble as he met her intro and mirrored it with his own brand of confidence, "Sup, name's Mew! Real Name: Mew! Profession: Man of Danger! Coolness Rating: 1**10**% Concentrated Badass!"

Jupiter closed her eyes and laughed loud enough to tickle a mountainside, "Ha ha! Yeah you totally look like the kinda guy who could've beaten Michael, Maria and Gabriel!"

"And Seth, don't forget Seth." Mew noted.

"What about him?" Jupiter spat hastily, her voice cold as ice.

"_...Ah, I think I get it now." _Mew nodded his head.

He then watched as Jupiter tightened her grip around her hip, making a distinct cracking sound with her knuckles. She also jerked her head left to right, cracking her neck muscles.

"So what's it gonna be? One on one? Two on one?" Jupiter pounded her fists before her waist and grit her teeth to say, "Maybe a hundred to one?!"

Kairi was already retreating when Mew held his arm back and whispered to her, "Just keep your distance and pay attention."

Mew then stood tall against his magnificently sculpted foe and threw his arms up. He boasted with a robust hamminess in his voice, "You face the might of a million men in one!"

Jupiter ground her teeth together as a fire grew in her eyes to blot out the sun and stars blazing in the ebony sky.

"That so?" Jupiter opened one hand and squeezed her fist so hard that the ground suddenly cratered at her feet, "Cause that ain't gonna be enough!"

She raised and smashed one foot forward, shattering the ground. Mew met her show of strength and flexed his knuckles by his hips. She responded in kind by nudging her grin up, the cockiness and confidence speaking a language Mew never thought he'd get to experience towards another.

Their hearts raced together and pumped blood and adrenaline into their legs. They galloped towards one another, two bulls meeting on the wilderness plains. They raised their hands up and tackled each other head on, slamming their sweaty palms together and meeting on even footing. They were the same height, wore the same azure flame on their irises, and their hearts beat as one.

After wearing their scowls in the open and growling like lions, the two rammed their foreheads together and broke apart the ground twenty feet around their heels.

**Vs. The Bloodfist Demon: Aurian Jupiter!**

Blood dripped from their foreheads down to their nose. Jupiter grabbed Mew's hands and forced them down to his hips, shoving him off. The two hopped a couple feet back. Jupiter bent forward, throwing up her fists before her face as her scarf swayed with her movements.

"_Can't take this one lightly..." _Mew pointed at the ground and a jolt of electricity ejected from the fingertip and burrowed itself in the cracks. Jupiter grinned and bolted forward swinging right for Mew's face.

Mew swung his head to the left and felt pressure along his cheek that nudged his head back a little. He widened his eyes and swerved his head around as Jupiter curved both her fists towards the sides of his head.

He took his opening to leap back and snapped his fingers at the ground as Jupiter stepped one foot forward. A lightning bolt rose from the ground and smited her. Mew grinned until Jupiter launched herself out of the lightning bolt with static tingling her skin and rammed her left fist into Mew's gut.

"GUH!" Mew felt like he just spat out all the air in his lungs. Jupiter threw two more punches to lift him higher then kneed him in the chest and swung her fists at his head to send him to the ground.

Mew dug his heels into the ground but wound up dragging his feet all the way to where Kairi stood, the ground he razed building up at her toes. Mew grit his teeth and swung his head back. Seeing the fright in her eyes turned his ferocity into a grin as he joked, "Taking notes?"

Jupiter went diving down foot first and Mew hastily told Kairi "Get back!" as he swung his arms out and grappled Jupiter around the leg. Her momentum twisted his body back, a soft crack coming from his spine. Mew held his ground and spun himself around to throw the brawler to the ground.

She landed on her back and dug up most of the ground in her path. She smashed her bare heels down to stand up, victimizing the poor unfortunate ground that had to be in her way.

Jupiter tossed some spit down to her left, its speed and impact like a bullet. She grinned and raised her fists to her face, fluttering some fingers towards her. Mew stood up and his upper arms trembled.

"_Ah come on, she went down and I'm the one hurting?" _Mew closed his eyes with a "Tsk" then waggled the pain out of his limbs, firming them back up with the flexing of his fingers.

He then stared his burning glare at the fiery warrior and charged forward. He paused before her, just briefly, to weigh his options. He decided to sweep his left leg towards her knee caps and she in turn thrust her left fist down ready to snap his leg in two.

Mew held his leg back slightly and grazed the side of her fist. He could feel the pain even though he avoided it, and it left his heart fluttering. Jupiter narrowed her gaze knowingly towards him then with a nudge of the head gave him a chance to put his foot back.

The moment it touched down Jupiter threw a few quick jabs at his face that he slid back to evade. She then thrust her right fist towards his chest to make him block it with his palm.

She sped right behind him with a single kick of her feet and turned to pummel his back with a few swift swings. Mew felt the pain in his front too, his energy being blown out like shockwaves. His stamina was ridiculous though. He knew he could outlast a few of her punches while gauging her techniques and strength.

He grit his teeth through the pain and turned around, slapping his hands up to deflect her myriad of blows. He then dug his feet into the ground and rammed his head in between her arms to smash her nose. She stumbled back a couple steps then nailed her feet to the ground and brushed the drop of blood from her nose onto her wrist.

"That's a nice warm up!" She smirked his way.

"Hey, that's my line!" Mew replied as he bounced around and swiped sweat off his forehead. He went in closer to Jupiter and threw a punch straight for her face, hoping to catch her by surprise with his speed.

She blocked with both her arms crossed up then kept that defensive stance while kicking a foot up towards his chin. Mew leaned his whole upper body back to to avoid it. It seemed silly and unnecessary but it was just part of his plan.

From there he pulled his legs up and wrapped them around Jupiter's waist. He twisted his body around, pulled her up, then slammed her down to the ground with him. But she went down fighting, and dropped her left elbow down onto his thigh at the moment of impact.

Mew let go but felt a throbbing pain in his leg. The two of them started to stand but the pressure on his foot resonated to his thigh and held him down a couple seconds longer. Jupiter's shadow loomed and Mew raised his head with a hearty chuckle. Jupiter then uppercutted him in the jaw to knock him off his feet.

She whirled around twice to build up more momentum and force for two more uppercuts to his chest. The fourth and final punch had her burrow her knuckles in and twist them like a screw. Upon release a resounding "Crack!" followed, and Mew was swept up in a large twister of pure strength.

Jupiter dropped down and threw out a thumbs-up the second Mew came crashing down on his back. Mew's body twitched around for a few seconds as the brawler spun around and stretched her arms out one at a time.

"C'mon! That can't be your best!" She said, firmly planting her knuckles up above her hips and kicking her left heel up against the ground.

Mew spit on the ground and bounced back on his feet. The pain rippled up his back and shook his body hardcore. After a couple coughs he laid a hand on his chest and took in a deep long breath. That seemed to help the pain a little.

"_Well...Looks like I won't be taking it easy this time." _Mew slowly closed and opened his eyes, looking over in Kairi's general direction. She was a speck in the distance, but that didn't make the worry in her eyes any less apparent.

He bucked up and lowered his hands to his hips, stating under his staggered breath, "Guess I oughta practice what I preach..."

He then threw his fists up similarly to how Jupiter does it and fluttered his fingers towards him, saying with a somewhat cockier tone, "C'mon! Lets go...round two!"

Jupiter raised her fists and pounded them together a couple times. Then she rubbed them together and declared, "Hell yeah! Hit me with your best shot!"

Mew bolted straight for the brawler and threw a punch straight into her gut. The dust in his wake moved a couple seconds later. Jupiter grimaced then jabbed her elbow down at his wrist. Mew pulled his fist back and snatched her by the wrist, throwing the arm up above his head.

Mew then rammed his forehead towards her face. She grabbed his scalp in one hand and dropped her raised elbow towards his neck. Mew grinned and bore the strikes to his neck without budging. He kicked his feet rapidly against the ground and used his thick skull to shove Jupiter back.

With her efforts failing Jupiter raised her arm up high and started grunting. Mew heard the gruesome sounds of muscles bulging and skin stretching and tilted his head back to see what was up. Jupiter's arm had doubled in size and girth, making it look abnormally connected with her relatively normal shoulder.

"Holy shit...!" Mew gasped as he ripped his head out of Jupiter's grip at the cost of a messy hairdo then jumped away. Jupiter dropped her elbow again and smashed the ground. Mew landed in the middle of a moon wide tremor as a fissure formed half a mile wide on both sides of Jupiter's fist.

Mew stared wide-eyed as the brawler casually lifted her beefy arm and returned it to normal size, swinging it around a couple times and letting out an impressed whistle.

"Not bad! Most bad guys shit their pants when I do that!" She laughed that monstrous display of strength off as a mere joke, which was definitely the scariest thing for Mew.

"_I am REALLY glad I didn't have breakfast now," _Mew caught his breath and thought over this a little more, _"That must've been her Drive. Alright...g-good to know."_

Jupiter licked her lips and charged right in swinging. She swung her arms left and right, clobbering away at Mew's chest. Mew held his arms up to block and started losing ground for it. Jupiter's focus was straight as a bullet and unstoppable as a train.

Mew breathed in deep and shoved his arms out to throw Jupiter's fists back towards her face. He then swung his arms down and slammed both fists into her gut to stagger her back a little. He grabbed her by her left shoulder and lifted her off the ground, ramming his left fist into her rock hard abs a few times, each blow stronger than the last.

The final punch struck her chest and toppled Jupiter onto her back, but she sprung right back up and slid forward to meet Mew face-to-face. Mew danced around her flurry of fists to go for her back, and she responded by kicking him in the gut with her left leg.

Mew held his ground and grabbed her leg in both hands. In a mad move she lifted her other leg off the ground and spun back, twisting her other leg out of alignment just a little just for the chance to throw a punch towards Mew's face.

Mew let go and ducked under her swing. Her thighs landed firmly around his head and her legs underneath his arms to get to his back. She then used her full weight to drag him face-first into the ground.

She rolled off him and jumped to her feet. She spun her right arm around, doubling its size at the exact moment she threw a punch up. A tiny whirlwind flew along the ground towards the hapless Mew. Little did she know though he had a big ol' grin and stood right up to catch the whirlwind in his hands.

He collapsed the wind into an orb then thrust it back at its creator. Jupiter lobbed the ball into the air with the back of her hand then leaped to spike it down. Her showmanship gave Mew the opening he needed to rise up and knock her down with his fist.

She landed on her feet but Mew dove right down and smashed his fist along her left cheek. But it wouldn't budge much, and she grit her teeth into a huge grin while slowly forcing his fist back into his elbow.

She swung her right leg up at his chest but only her foot managed to graze it as he backed away in the blink of an eye. But she kept swinging her leg out in a flurry of kicks, forcing Mew on the defensive. It wasn't bad enough that she had the strength, she also had the speed, as her legs were like orange streaks in the air.

Mew also felt like he was getting hit in the chest despite his arms being in the way. It was a strange sensation, his chest and arms getting hit at the same time, with the blows to his chest feeling half as strong as the ones to his arms.

"_No no no, this must be her Drive power," _And depending on how this escalated, that would only prove to be a bad thing, _"Cause if I can't block her Drive, then she can just keep me hitting me with those big fists of hers..."_

Mew realized at that point that there was no benefit to blocking her attacks. He'd just have to meet her fist-to-fist and use the brawler's overwhelming strength against her. In the middle of her flurry of kicks Mew suddenly threw a punch down at the bottom of her foot and made her leg recoil back towards her thigh.

She stumbled a bit back and Mew started kicking his right leg repeatedly to get her on the defensive. But it seemed she was content just meeting him on an even playing field and started kicking her leg up to meet him. Each time their legs connected it split the ground around them at random locations.

Jupiter quickly upset the balance by doubling the size of her leg, forcing Mew to raise his strength a bit to match it. The previously impacted zones grew in size as their clash rang louder in the air, deafening any chance of conversation the two may have wanted.

From the corner of his eye Mew saw a smirk form on Jupiter and suddenly he heard her muscles expand even further and the skin on her legs visibly cracking at the seams. Mew was awe-struck that her leg was now three times its normal size and she still swung it around with the ease of a wooden bat.

Mew retreated, knowing he could not match her in that state. Jupiter, however, slammed her leg down. The ground couldn't handle it and almost collapsed as she dashed straight ahead. Mew was ready to dodge left when he found her triple-sized fist plunged into his chest.

Her knuckles covered his whole chest, their raw strength exploding out of his backside and obliterating a cone of land a whole mile behind him. Mew gasped for air as he felt the bottom of his ribs break, yet found it a higher priority to crack a joke.

"T-That's gonna leave a mark..." He chuckled as Jupiter shrunk her arm and pulled it right off Mew's chest to leave him stumbling back.

Jupiter then turned around and threw both her arms up, grabbing onto her right elbow as she basked in her own glory and exclaimed, "One! Two! Three! Four!"

Mew held a hand on his chest and slowly breathed in and out through his nostrils. His knees stopped shaking and he stood tall, listening to the brawler continue her countdown, "Five! Six! Seven! Eight!"

A bit of blood dripped out of his mouth but he licked it right up and squeezed his hands into fists.

"Nine! T-" Before the final count was rung Mew charged forward like a herd of wild stallions and drug his fist along the ground. With a loud grunt he swung his fist up into Jupiter's back and lifted her right off the ground. Now the girl was the one gasping for air, a feat Mew took pride in after being her punching bag so far.

He used his fist to throw her over his head and onto the ground, where she bounced off it and prepared to stand and fight. But Mew charged right back in and clobbered her not once but twice in the chin. He battered her chest with a myriad of flaming jabs unseen by the naked eye. He then quickly threw his right leg into her hip, leaping to hammer his left foot into her other hip while simultaneously punching her forehead. Upon landing Mew nailed her gut with both his fists, causing her to bend forward and cough up a couple drops of blood.

But as Mew went for an uppercut to her face she rose up and snatched his fist out of the air. She raised it level with her face and spat the blood between her gums onto his knuckles. Her eyes were like a panther's, her smile like a grizzy bear's.

"That all you got, _punk_?" That wasn't a boast, that was a threat. One she'd follow up much sooner than Mew expected. She pulled him in to clock him in the gut with her elbow then threw him over her head.

She then zipped in front of his legs and grabbed them, dragging him right off the ground like a ragdoll. She locked her legs into place and spun him around and around and around, quickly creating a towering whirlwind as wide as the length he spun him.

"Taaaaake THIS!" She said before effortlessly flinging him off into space. Mew went tumbling around at terminal velocity, losing all sense of positioning or time as his brain bounced around in his skull.

When he finally straightened himself upright and turned to the moon he found he was easily thousands upon thousand of miles away from it. Mew closed and widened his eyes as much as they could handle it, shaking his head at the absurdity of his predicament.

He caught his breath and was grateful that the "Mumbo jumbo" placed on these planets kept him breathing this far out. He then bent down and prepared to rocket back into the battle when the battle, it seemed, would be coming straight for him.

A ring of dust that was roughly a speck this far out formed as a familiar bright burning streak bolted forward at ludicrous speeds. Mew slowly straightened up and braced for impact as Jupiter slammed the full force of her body into him and pummeled at his chest with her fists. The two were being carried forward by the momentum of their clash to another of Jupiter's massive moons – the yellow sulfur wasteland known as Io.

And with how blistering fast they were moving even the great distance seemed like a casual stroll for them. Finally they smashed into the moon's surface with the force of two meteorites, greatly disturbing the already geologically vulnerable environment.

The two got right on their feet and shoved their right arms together as the sulfur pockets erupted and clouded their vision. Mew could safely breathe the air in by converting the toxic atmosphere into oxygen, but despite Jupiter having no such luxuries she fought with all her strength just the same.

She advanced on him ducking under his fists and smashing hers across his gut to make him yield. Mew's abdomen was starting to feel wobbly like gelatin but he would never surrender, even against this respectable adversary.

He hammered his kneecap into Jupiter's chin to make her stand then smashed both his fists down on her head, hoping both forces would make her kneel. And she did! But only to better furiously pound his thighs with her fists. Mew's knees buckled under pressure until he was level with Jupiter's face, where she flashed a grin before filling his vision with the grit of her double-sized fist.

Mew went tumbling onto his back across the sulfur filled lands, though to him that wound up being the equivalent of covering his clothes in cheese dust. He planted his hands on the ground and twisted his body left as Jupiter leaped and dropped a punch towards his shoulder. Before either could follow up her punch accidentally caused an eruption in the ground that spewed lava to separate the two momentarily.

Mew stood and nudged his head down to the left, his heart feeling like it was about to explode from all the adrenaline. Jupiter surely felt the same, even if he couldn't see it at the moment.

"_Days like this..." _Mew grit his blood tinted teeth and raised his fists in preparation for the lava to subside, _"Are when it feels good to be alive."_

A river of lava separated the two but Mew heard the sounds of splashing coming from close by. Jupiter sprinted bare-footed across the lava's surface and surprised Mew long enough to throw a punch at his chest. She pressed her body up close and personal and rapidly threw short length punches into Mew's gut, ending on a firm swing to knock him twenty feet away.

Mew's heels slid up the side of a mountain and he glanced back, sensing how it towered taller than Mt. Everest. He grinned and his mind started conjuring up an insane idea. He waited for Jupiter to approach and deflected her punches with his hands so her Drive's aftershocks missed him entirely.

She doubled the size of her legs one at a time and tried to sweep him off his feet. Mew hopped over them and continued making his way back. He threw a punch and a kick or two to keep her suspicions lowered. But for being a distraction it sure sucked having to throw his full strength into each blow.

The sulfur pockets on the surface burst around them, lowering visibility down to the bare minimum. Yet their eagle-eyes pierced through the veil and gave them a clear look at one another. Mew saw Jupiter throwing all her might into each punch, her blood-drenched teeth grit into a wild scowl. What she saw from him is a happy-go-lucky grin and his eyes filled with a genuine enjoyment of life.

The blistering heat and toxic air was a menial distraction to the two's bare-knuckle brawl. The eruptions and gurgling ground fell on deaf ears as the clash of their fists eclipsed the moon's distress.

Mew soon widened his eyes and realized he almost missed that they were near the top. When Jupiter leaped and thrust her fist down towards his head Mew evaded it with a backflip and landed on the shaky mountain top. Her punch inflicted a deep penetrating wound that caused lava to ooze out onto her feet as she stood up at Mew.

Mew swung his arms up and boasted assuredly, "Its over Noel! I have the high ground!"

Jupiter spat a wad of blood into the sizzling lava and shook her hands free of sulfur. Mew could barely make out her wild grin until she punched her fists together to push away the toxic air around her. She then wagged her fingers towards her body and exclaimed, "You underestimate my power!"

"_Yeeeeeessss!" _Mew couldn't have been any more elated that she got the reference. He put his hands down in his pockets and with a satisfied smile he turned around and appeared to lean his back against the empty air.

"I'll knock ya right off your high horse!" Her boast was followed by her tripling the size of her right arm and charging right in.

Mew smile just got wider as he crossed his arms and summoned his sword into the ground behind him to lean up against. The sword played the role of the shield and blocked the full might of Jupiter's punch. But poor Io, it'd have to pay the price dearly.

The reverb of her punch went down to the tip of Mew's blade and split open the sides of the mountain down to the bottom and continued traveling across the moon. It split off into multiple branches until half the moon was covered in fissures.

Mew felt all this and softly blinked his eyes while muttering a high-pitched "Whoopsie". But he got what he wanted out of all this and that was to leave his opponent completely stunned. He dispelled his sword and turned around to quickly grab Jupiter under her shoulders and suplex her against the mountain top...Whatever was left of it anyways.

The mountain had enough. The whole thing burst wide-open and launched the two of them straight up in an eruption of lethal sulfur and lava. Mew still held on tightly to Jupiter as they were launched away from the moon even if it hurt his back doing so. He then grit his teeth and spewed fire from his feet to turn himself around at high velocity with Jupiter at the center.

"Sorry, but I'm supposed to be tutoring someone here...SO BACK YOU GO!" He declared before throwing his all into tossing Jupiter straight back to Europa.

She didn't go flying nearly as fast as she sent him earlier but Mew fixed that by charging in and slamming her with a shoulder tackle. After a couple of those Jupiter finally recovered. But surely even she wouldn't be able to turn the tide in this state, right?

Mew should've known better than to make assumptions. Jupiter grinned and tripled the size of BOTH her arms, punching them both back with enough force to propel herself forward _off _of Europa's surface. Mew widened his eyes and was helpless as the gal grappled her muscular hands around the sides of his head and pressed down to lower his resistance right before flinging him straight towards the moon.

Mew crashed flat on his back against the hard icy ground and stayed there unable to move. He lifted his head up but his arms and legs were buried under a couple tons of debris, not helped by the moon's immense gravity. And Jupiter, defying the laws of physics as she does, was flying straight down at him.

"THIS'LL FINISH YOU!" Her voice echoed loudly through the depths of space as her body underwent one last change. Pushing her arms to their limits, the skin was stripped off her hands and biceps and exposed the sinew of her muscles. Her arms, now quadruple their size, would surely turn Mew into paste if he didn't act fast.

Mew grit his teeth and pulled out his entire reservoir of strength to rip his arms free of the debris and cross them up before his face right as Jupiter's fists came crashing down.

What ensued could only be described as complete and utter insanity. The whole moon split apart like an egg, its pieces being blown away in all directions while its core destabilized and spread its contents wherever they could go. The large fragment that Mew and Jupiter were on stayed where it was, luckily.

Jupiter shrunk her arms back down to normal and planted her knees atop the rubble Mew was buried under. She panted and her arms were visibly throbbing in agony. But a second later a silvery coated fist shoved up through the rubble and punched her square in the gut.

Her breathing grew unsteady and with a sweaty gasp she suddenly collapsed on the ground to the left of the rubble. Mew pushed himself up and shook his arms to dispel the metal off them. He grit his teeth and with a nasally hiss felt the pain of his efforts reverberate throughout his body.

"Ooooow...G-Good ol' adamantium," He then closed his eyes and thought aloud, _"But hooooo boy...That was WAY too close for comfort..."_

He stood up and had the courtesy of helping Jupiter to her feet as well. He offered his back as arm support and then carried her away from the massive pile of rubble. She slowly opened her eyes and somehow still had the strength to smile.

Mew looked her in the eyes and complimented her with, "Hey, that was a great fight!"

"Yeah, same to you," She replied with no hard feelings between them. She grimaced her eyes closed and let out a struggling grunt, "Ah shit...I'm aching all over here!"

"Hahaha, you gonna be ok?" Mew cheerfully asked.

"Pffft, I'll be fine. This is nothing!" Jupiter insisted, then nudged her head forward and remarked, "But what about your girlfriend?"

"My wha-" Mew turned his head forward and upon seeing Kairi flat on her butt with her skin as pale as snow he widened his eyes and declared, "Ooops! Almost forgot!"

He suddenly dropped Jupiter flat on the ground and ran straight on over to Kairi. Her gaze was the only thing that followed him up as he got closer, and her pupils were the size of pin needles. Mew crossed his arms before his chest and nonchalantly chuckled, "Hehe see? Someday, you'll be able to fight opponents like this as well!"

Dripping with a cold sweat Kairi closed her eyes and whispered "G-Great...Lovely..." as she tried to stand back up. Mew held his hand out to help but she just looked away from it and managed just fine on her own.

Mew then found his chin on his chest as Jupiter socked him one on the back of the head and yelled bluntly, "Rude!"

When Mew stood up and turned around Jupiter planted her hands on her hips and declared, "Well since ya beat me I guess I gotta give you the ol' stamp of approval right?"

She reached into her right pocket and her thighs made it a real struggle to pull out the thumb shaped stamp inside. She then forced Mew's hand forward and planted the stamp on the back. This time the stamp was golden and symbolized a police officer's badge.

Jupiter wiggled the stamp around between her fingers and with a small grin said, "Certified and ready to go!"

Mew lowered his head and nodded out of appreciation. But Jupiter's eyes suddenly regained their fury and she made it clear as day to Mew, "But don't think this is over. Next time, I'm gonna be the winner!"

"But maybe next time we could fight somewhere a little more...durable?" Mew said, surveying the drifting rubble formerly known as Europa.

"Ah pish-posh..." Jupiter flapped her right hand down without a care and proclaimed, "My friend'll put the moons back together just like she always does."

"A-Always does?!" Kairi exclaimed, her skin now so pale she may was well been see-through.

Jupiter started laughing and so did Mew, albeit not for as long, cause he had a question for his beaten opponent.

"Before we go I'm kinda curious to know what led to you working for Gravitus."

"You are?" Jupiter acted surprised but then punched her fist up against an open palm and declared, "Ain't that hard to explain! I have a lot of fun punching out the bad guys giving him shit!"

She cocked her body up and with a hearty grin added, "Y'know, in the name of truth and justice and all that wordy mumbo-jumbo in-between?"

"...Hmm," Mew swung his hand up and said, "Fair enough! Thanks for telling me!"

"No problem! Now don't go being a stranger ya hear me?"

Mew started to head for the portal but had to turn around and drag Kairi by her arm when she wouldn't move. Yet as has become commonplace now Jupiter had one last thing to say before they left.

"Oh!" Mew turned his head back and as she waved his way she asked, "**If**, and that's a mighty big if we're talking here, ya make it to my little sister, tell her I'll be coming around to visit tomorrow!"

"Will do!" Mew spoke confidently before leaving through the portal with Kairi literally in tow.

Now that they were gone Jupiter breathed a heavy sigh then fell right down onto her back. She stretched her arms and legs on this barren rock and enjoyed the view of the stars above. As her eyes gently closed, signaling a growing urge to nap, she muttered quietly to herself, "Looks like its all up to you now...Cat."

_Next Time: Justice! vs. Justice!_


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: The Ultimate! The Smartest! The Cutest! Galaxy Rider Saturn Makes Her Debut!**

Exiting the portal from Jupiter with Kairi in tow, Mew wiggled his arms around, barely a feeling in his muscles.

"Woof!" He exhaled in shock, "What a rush!"

He turned to see the portal slide aside then looked at Kairi. She was still in a state of shock too dire to break with words alone. So Mew bent in and snapped his fingers a couple times in her face. She blinked and blabbered as her consciousness slipped back into her body.

Mew gently put his arms up to his chest and greeted her with, "Welcome back!"

She stared at him with eyes wide open. Mew casually told her, "Not every day you get to watch a moon crack open like a walnut eh?"

His canned laughter got no reaction out of her. Instead he drifting thoughts dribbled out of her mouth with a frightened but curious vibe to them, "D-Do you fight people like that all the time?"

Mew cocked his head and answered, "Not at all!"

"What?!" This jolted her eyes wide open, "B-But you're supposed to be...!"

"The Elemental Overlord?" Mew closed his eyes and giggled through a grin, "Make no mistake I'm 100% bona fide! ...I've just, you know, never had to strut my stuff until now."

"A-And yet you beat her." Kairi's tone didn't feel like either admiration or fright. She shook her head and let out a terse sigh, "You're a freak of nature."

"And once you've trained enough you'll be a freak like me too!" Mew cheerfully proclaimed, inciting outrage in the girl.

"I can't break a planet with my fists! That's insane!"

"You don't have to break a planet to be strong. Being strong is..." Mew pointed a finger up to his cheek and gave it a couple love taps. Then he struck it up in the air and turned to lay a hand on his chest.

Kairi tilted her head and assumed, "Keeping your heart healthy?"

"No," Mew playfully shook his head then looked at Kairi while adopting a more heartfelt tone, "Its about listening to your heart, and doing the right thing."

"...And just what is the 'right thing'?" Kairi murmured insecurely a question Mew didn't have a definitive answer for.

"That's something you got to learn on your own." He said, feeling that would suffice.

"Hrmm..." With a wistful growl Kairi lowered her head as she slowly turned for the stairs going up and said, "L-Lets just keep going."

"Ok!" Mew sharply returned to his peppy self and thrust a fist towards the sky, "Saturn, here we come!"

A silent trek up the stairs followed. Upon reaching the seventh floor of this monolithic Pyramid they were greeted by a sublime sight. The walls, the floor, the pillars, they all had been converted into a cybernetic material complete with pulsating multi-colored lines. Parts of the walls detached into cubes and re-inserted themselves into other parts of the room without breaking the symmetrical pattern.

"These floors keep getting weirder and weirder..." Kairi sighed and drooped her shoulders. In contrast, Mew stood up straight and had a jolly laugh at this room.

"Haha! I could've made bank betting on one of the Planetary Aurians being a tech genius!"

Kairi just glanced at him and grumbled, "Wouldn't this be the time to assume we'd be fighting a cyberspace AI or whatever the hell you said two floors back?"

Her comeback was weak and forced but her memory was spot on. Mew gave her an acknowledging nod then said, "Hey who knows, could be a little of both!"

He stared at the portal on the other end and whispered as his body trembled with anticipation, "There's only one way to find out!"

He jiggled his head around then sprinted straight for the portal. Without a clue as to where he'd land he leaped and dove in feet first. As the old saying goes, "Fortune favors fools", and he was shot out of that portal onto a floating rock made mostly of ice. The landing was hard and cold, yet somehow, also relaxing.

"Aaaah...Just what the doctor ordered." As the back pain seemed to die down he started to lift his head and saw thousands, possibly a million other alike rocks floating about. They formed a ring around the Milky Way's second gas giant – Saturn. The planet, while not as intense as Jupiter, still gently tugged at Mew's body from this far out.

A couple seconds later Kairi ran out of the portal, planting her legs directly behind Mew's laid out arms. Mew looked up Kairi's shorts and by pure accident saw something he really shouldn't have.

"Pink...?" He whispered as his face turned the same color.

As his danger senses tingled he stood right up before she could look down. He waited until he stopped grinning to turn around, where he found Kairi glaring at him as he's gotten used to her doing. She was clearly suspicious but instead of saying anything to that effect she grumbled, "Do you like looking like an idiot?"

"Message declined, please try again!" Mew replied, figuring he'd take a crack at sounding like one of those electronic answering machines.

"What. Ever." Kairi grumbled as she turned to look at the planet.

"So where are they this time?" She wondered quietly. Mew felt something coming from beyond Saturn's pull and looked up. A star in the sky was speeding around getting brighter and bigger every second.

After some serious deja vu Mew pointed at it and said, "I think that's them?"

"Aack!" Kairi instantly ducked to the ground and covered her head with her arms. Mew however squinted at the object closing in and thought, "Wait a tic...That ain't a person!"

Jumping out of hyperspace as a silver streak was a black ship as round as a donut with a sandy texture that glistened like stardust. It was only as big as a battleship and had a cockpit fit for one.

Kairi peeked her head out from cover and slowly stood back up. There the two watched as the center of the ship glowed violet and sent a beam straight down to the rock floating ten feet away from them.

A person's silhouette appeared in the light, becoming a solid figure as the light slowly went back to the ship like an unveiling curtain.

From the bare feet with violent painted nails and skinny clean shaven legs alone the person was clearly a woman. Around the kneecaps the bottom of a pure white lab coat revealed itself, with the girl's hands tucked deep into the bottom pockets. Her choice of clothes underneath the open coat were super short jean shorts and a light-purple tank top.

She had no figure filling out these clothes but once they got to her face it was clear age wasn't the problem here. She had bright red lips and velvety lavender hair hung down to her knees. Her eyes were the same color, but were hidden behind thin lensed rectangular glasses. Overall she was about a foot shorter than Mew but looked to be his and Kairi's age exactly.

"Hmhmm..." The girl's nose twitched and she closed her eyes with a smile. Then she whipped her hands out from her pockets and slowly brought them to cross near her chest. The bottom of her coat blew up, like it was caught on a breeze.

"Bwahahaha! Welcome!" She yelled boisterously as her eyes flared open. With her dominance over the conversation established the gal looked her sheepish guests straight in the eyes.

"What's the matter?! Have you been captivated by my magnificent visage?!" The gal talked with the kind of voice one would take when they're pretending to sound like a grown-up. Her forceful tact and loud voice got Kairi groaning in misery right away. Mew, however, looked up at the girl's ship for a moment then pointed towards it.

"Actually I was more impressed by your ship. What'd you make it out of? An asteroid?"

The girl swung her head back up then leaned it back with a prideful sneer, her hair partially draped over shoulder.

"Naturally!" She declared as a matter-of-fact, then with eyes squeezed shut and head held high she detailed, "The asteroid's astrodynamic composition makes it perfect for FTL travel without fear of burning up on re-entry from hyperspace travel!"

The girl pinched a smile and touched the bridge of her glasses, and the lens fogged up instantly.

"An observation most commendable yet predictable!" The girl leaned her head in partway to reveal a narrowing glare behind her glasses, "Elemental Overlord!"

Mew trembled at his feet and with a wobbly, humbled grin at being recognized for once retorted, "Ah, so my reputation precedes me!"

"Indeed!" The girl exhaled her brilliance with every yell, "You thought you could deceive me and my comrades but your treacherous ways end here, villain!"

"V-Villain?!" Mew sputtered while laying his fingertips at the sides of his chest, "M-Me?"

"Don't take me for a fool! Do you know who the **hell** I am?!" The girl crossed her arms and started to laugh.

"...Well-"

"Who do you think created the instant matter transporters to each planet?!"

"Wel-"

"WHO do you think made it possible to breathe on not one! Not two! But EIGHT different planets?!"

"We-"

"And who?! Just WHO?! Do you think is responsible for keeping Sancturia afloat and cloaked?!"

"W-"

"Only the most rootinest tootinest! Coolest! Smartest! Bravest! Cutest gal in all the cosmos!" Suddenly a bunch of fireworks went off behind the girl as she boasts her name to the high heavens, "Tremble before my awesomeness, and despair evil-doer! For you face the one! The only! Planetary Aurian of Saturn!"

Even more fireworks went off to eclipse the smoke of the last batch, only this time the light flared to spell out her name.

"Catherine Ceepeu!" She exclaimed with her hands swung up to the ends of her fiery bright name.

After which Saturn somehow mustered some semblance of restraint for her guests to take the time to bathe in her glory. Mew and Kairi's eyes were locked up in awe, with the boy's grin beginning to tremble with excitement.

"_'Different' huh?" _Mew was feeling something he hadn't towards any other Planetary Aurian so far. No, it wasn't love. Even Mew had his limits on handling energetic personalities and on a scale of 1 to 10 Saturn ranked a 20.

"_Its like...When I look at her, I know we have to fight. Not because she's in the way but rather..." _Mew's fists tightened up all on their own and he finally firmed his lips into a smile, _"I think we share the same ideals."_

"That's it! I'm out! Later!" Kairi tried to escape this madhouse through the portal but Mew hooked his pinky into her shirt's collar and held her back.

"Come on, just endure it. I'll try and make it quick." He tried to assured her. Kairi pouted but held her ground. Mew then stared over at Saturn and saw the girl still beaming with pride.

"So you're the brains behind Gravitus' operation?" He said as he held his pointer finger towards her upside-down.

"That's right!" Saturn didn't hesitate to answer, "And you're the miscreant who's been giving him a lotta trouble these past couple of days!"

Mew took a bit of pride in himself grinning while he responded, "Maaaaaybeee?"

"I will not tolerate your evil ways any longer! This is the end of the line for you!" Saturn proclaimed, her resolve tougher and denser than any asteroid.

"Ok then..." Mew flipped his hand to flutter his fingers towards himself, "Bring. It. On!"

Saturn nudged her nose and her glasses fogged back up. With a big old smile she proclaimed, "Excellent! Let us make this the fight of our lives!"

There was a sense that their minds were linked by not just the same ideals, but the same feeling of excitement towards battle. Saturn raised a carbon wristwatch to her mouth and a small holographic sphere projected off of it.

"Ship! Do the thing!" She threw her arm back down and turned towards the planet. Mew and Kairi watched as her ship pointed its center at the planet's rings and glowed bright white. A beam blasted down and the ship hurtled itself one full rotation around the planet in less than a minute. The beam sealed up practically stone and chunk of ice in a smooth cage of aura.

The aura squished the rings down to a more thin streamlined form without breaking any of the rocks. Kairi's jaw dropped and upon catching a glimpse of that Saturn exclaimed, "Impressed? Of course you are!"

Saturn crossed her arms towards the planet and said, "Welcome to the coolest skating rink this side of the Milky Way!"

She then leaned in at Mew to add, "And your final resting place! Now come...unless you're scared to die!"

Saturn tucked her hands into her pockets and hopped towards the battlefield. Mew followed along and the two glided down onto the ring. Mew took one look back at Kairi to make sure she was watching, then landed gently like a feather.

Saturn put a little more flair into her landing by leaning forward and pulling her hands out to make her lab coat flutter like a cape. She then twisted her body straight towards Mew and asked, "Did you ever imagine that you'd die seeing such a pretty sight?"

"The planet or you?" Mew said, mostly joking in regards to his opponent.

"I'm not pretty! I'm adorable!" Saturn exclaimed, "Unlike your heart, which is ugly like a swamp!"

"Heh well, if you're going to teach me a lesson, then you're certainly not dressed to impress!" Mew stated, waving at her bare legs in particular.

"HmhmHM!" Saturn hummed mischievously while tapping the side of her glasses up, "The fire of my soul rages like a supernova! I am the Reaper of Justice, here to ferry your corrupt soul to Hell!"

Saturn thrust her watch up to her chest and squeezed her fist tight, "You may have bested Seth and Jupes, but their spirits live on inside me! Our voices united, crying out for vengeance and JUSTICE!"

The outer ring of her watch disengaged and out flushed a plethora of bright orange rays of light. She swung her hand out and strained her lungs exclaiming, "Now gaze your eyes upon the true form...of the instrument of your defeat!"

Saturn thrust the watch above her head and shouted, "Recognize! Code: Galaxy!"

"Rider! To action!" The watch responded in kind, causing Mew to drop his jaw and stare on in disbelief.

A black leathery mesh flew out of the watch in multiple strands and wrapped up Saturn's body like a mummy's bandages. Her long hair and coat were tucked into the suit with ease. If then compressed the excess air out to fit her skinny frame before sealing the creases up into a uniform state.

Three orange rings energized outward around her wrists and ankles and straight lines glowed across the body. Finally, after the back of her head had been covered up, a triangular metal grate slid up from the neckline to her nose and a star-shaped glass plate covered her eyes, the points extending out past her face.

Saturn slowly crossed her arms then suddenly slammed them against her chest, an explosion of energy going off behind her as a texture accurate scarf enveloped her neck.

"The heroine of the stars...is here! I am...GALAXY RIDER SATURN!" She exclaimed, her voice booming with heroism.

Mew stared and had this unabashedly giddy look on his face. He stood up straight and started clapping his hands while laughing uncontrollably. Saturn met his supposed insanity and taunted him on it, "What's the mater? Are you shaking in your boots?!"

"Are you kidding?! This is amazing! You're so cool!" Mew exclaimed, but then with a tight grin he swung his arms out and left his body wreathed with flames like he never had before.

"But you'll have to try harder than that if you want to scare me!" He denounced her tactics as childish and briefly adopted a more villainous tone, "Besides, I eat goodie two-shoes like you for breakfast!"

"A pity!" Saturn swung one arm out and flicked her fingers towards herself, "I always longed to test my mettle against an Elemental Overlord! But you stand on the wrong side of the law, and bring shame to your predecessor!"

"Maybe! But it is MY justice that shall reign supreme on this day!" Mew took a step back in his head and thought, _"Ooookay, starting to sound a little too super villain-ish here..."_

"That's what you think! But I eat justice for breakfast, lunch...AND DINNER!" Saturn boasted with an echo in her voice.

"Oh my god get a room you two!" Kairi could faintly be heard yelling from this far away.

Saturn then spun around and waved her hand towards herself. With a short hop she was able to levitate off the ground, upon which she exclaimed, "Catch me if you can, villain!"

She then bolted forward as an orange streak of light along the translucent track. Mew widened his eyes and despite knowing the futility of blurting it said "Hey! Isn't that supposed to be the other way around?!" and ran right after him.

He worked his legs to the bone catching up with the battle suited tech wizard, a series of words he never thought he'd string together in his lifetime, and locked eyes with her. The two let out increasingly louder hums until their heads were bent to the back of their necks. They then swung their heads down, slid back a little, rammed shoulders with each other, and flexed their muscles a bit while wearing competitive scowls.

**Vs. The Techno Minded Mistress: Aurian Saturn!**

They kept up this high-speed showdown for about ten whole minutes as they rounded the circumference of the planet. Both sides tried to shove the other off the ring but barely made any progress. Mew grit his teeth and growled, "Tough suit you got here! What's it made of?"

"Hrrghh! Wouldn't you...like to know?!" With one hard grunt Saturn shoved Mew off her shoulder and sped a little ahead of him. Mew staggered behind a little as his mind quickly wandered towards the suit's specs.

"_I can't sense anything from that suit, not even electricity. Whatever its made of...is completely foreign to me!" _He then kicked up the pace as they finished their first lap around the planet.

From the corner of his eye he saw Saturn's cheeks perk up behind the glass as she suddenly whispered to her suit a single word: "Double".

Faster than Mew could blink, Saturn's speed doubled down and she vanished from sight. When Mew finished blinking Saturn returned, having leaped into the air to drive her right foot into Mew's chest. All of course, while yelling out "SATURN KICK!"

Mew expunged the air in his lungs and went tumbling around mostly on his back. He dropped on his feet and swung his right arm up to block Saturn's second kick with her left foot. It took all the strength he had in that arm to stand his ground and keep her at bay.

Luckily, his other arm was happy to pick up the slack and swung up to snatch Saturn out of the air and drop her to the ground. But right as her back landed she fired boosts out from her feet to pull away and drag Mew face-first onto the ground.

Saturn stood right up to leap and swing her right leg straight up by her face. Identifying this move as a deadly axe-kick, Mew widened his eyes and planted his palms on the ground to perform a handstand, twirling around to repeatedly pound Saturn in the gut with a whirlwind of kicks.

Or so he thought. He only got a couple kicks in before Saturn dropped her leg down and kicked the heel of Mew's shoe to repel away to safety. She slid back then darted straight for Mew.

He grinned and pressed his palms on the ground, simultaneously flipping back and laying an electric mine in his place. Saturn ran right into the trap and her suit got completely zapped for it. Mew landed and whisked a hand across the bottom of his chin while wearing a sneer.

"Haha!" He proclaimed with pride.

Saturn's suit vibrated and shook the electricity right off, upon which she crossed her arms up to her chest and yelled even louder, "HA! HA!"

"Huh..." Mew piped up a little then with a glistening smirk flicked his right hand up and snapped his fingers. A large lightning bolt descended upon Saturn, who zipped to the right out of its way then charged straight at Mew, striking him across the left hip with a punch.

When Saturn looped back around for a second round Mew bent down and slammed his palms on the ground to create a fiery eruption around him. Saturn pulled away then wiggled her nose as she raised her arms up level with her chest.

"Try this on for size!" She exclaimed as she ground her wrist rings together, causing them to vibrate intensely and release an ear-piercing, high frequency pulse.

The flames subside as Mew has to assign his hands to the role of protecting his eardrums. Even then it felt like they were being scratched at by a pack of tiny cougars. He twisted his head back and ducked his body down just in time to dodge a left hook to his face. Then he hopped and kicked his legs up, twisting his body around once before landing straight back up.

He then danced back, flailing his legs up one at a time to hold his opponent back until he could get his footing. The noise subsided the moment he got his footing, but then Saturn clocked him one in the face.

Mew tanked that hit stone-cold and creased his lips into a grin. Saturn pulled back when Mew tried to uppercut her in the chin then set the rings around her wrists ablaze. She punched them both out in quick succession, sending frayed beams of energy towards his head.

Mew's face skirted the edge of the beams as he slid in closer, though Saturn kept speeding back in short bursts to maintain distance. After a couple more beams from her Mew ducked and scraped his right fist along the ground to set it on fire.

He missed his mark aiming up Saturn's gut and chest, but amidst her swift retreat Mew was able to hide a smile behind his burning arm. For as before he set his fists aflame he slid a few seeds out from between his knuckles, and they landed at Saturn's feet.

Thus with a snap of the fingers Mew grew the seeds into a series of vines that wrapped around Saturn's body. For a brief moment, Mew swore he glimpsed her _blushing_ before he commanded the vines to slam her down left and right.

"Not! Today!" Saturn grunted between slams. All the rings on her suit glowed then expanded outward to slice right through the vines like a hot knife to butter.

She then landed and twirled around as the vines decayed behind her. She swiped a finger before her nose and remarked, "There's always a time and place for that kinda stuff! But not when there's justice to be done!"

"Now then..." She hopped about and thrust her fists towards Mew to get pumped up again, "Engarde!"

She coated her right arm in aura shaped like a lance head and thrust straight towards Mew's chest. Mew turned around and drew his sword over his head to block it, anticipating ahead of time that she'd speed right past him and attack from the other side.

As she carried her momentum forward as he predicted, she threw a nasty surprise into the mix and left Mew hearing a rapid string of "Beeps" behind him.

Mew mistakenly held his sword up by his face and saw that she detached the lance onto his blade and turned it into a bomb. With quick thinking he tossed the sword out like a boomerang hoping to intercept Saturn's return trip.

Yet she not only leaped over it, but used the bomb's explosion to propel herself higher and forward. She dove straight for Mew's face feet first but he slipped out of the way in the nick of time. She landed, spun, and dashed back over to attack.

Mew deflected her fast hooks with his hands but failed to protect his legs from being swept by the twirling kick of both her legs. Bent down afterwards, Saturn twisted her right fist down by her butt and set her wrist rings ablaze. Then she rose and slammed her fist straight into Mew's gut. On the exact moment of impact the energy exploded from her wrists one ring at a time, adding a lot more pain to the punch.

And after the blasts went off she ejected air from her palm to drop right back to the ground without letting gravity have a chance.

Mew grimaced and thought, _"After Jupiter...this doesn't hurt so bad..."_

But Saturn would try and make certain to correct that soon enough. As Mew started to drop Saturn bolted right up to his location and grabbed him around his arms and legs, ensnaring them both in a cocoon of aura wrappings. She then turned them upside-down and spiraled towards the ground at rapidly increasing speeds.

"_This feels...familiar." _Mew couldn't help but shake off that vibe even as his head was driven into the ground and broke what bound him in place.

Saturn bounced off unharmed while Mew fell flat on his back. He quickly used the curve of his heels and the momentum of his fall to get right back on his feet. Then he started rubbing the back of his head and turned around.

Saturn could freely take a break to brag and boast about herself, "Hahaha! Is this really the best an Elemental Overlord can do?!"

Mew hung his head a bit towards the planet's encased rings then cracked a grin at the ideas spinning in his head. He swung his right hand out and pinched two fingers together, matching her boast with a nonchalant, "Not really, no."

He then cleanly snapped his fingers and widened his grin. But after a few seconds of nothing happening Mew fluttered his eyelashes then snapped his fingers a couple times. Saturn crossed her arms and leaned her head back to look down on him, breaking out into one magnificent guffaw once he stopped snapping his fingers.

"You thought you could use the planet's rings against me! Too bad! For I am ten **quattuordecillion** steps ahead of you!"

Mew let out a "Tsk" then swung his hand down and proclaimed, "This must be the power of your Drive then!"

"But of course!" Saturn couldn't help herself from getting a little into the details, "My Containment Drive cannot be broken by neither man nor god!"

Mew grimaced and let out a slight groan of disappointment. Then with a droopy sigh he thought, _"Normally I'd be mad she told me her power...But I get this strange feeling I haven't seen everything that Drive can do yet."_

She came flying right in swinging her arms around his body. Quick, blinding punches were the name of her game, and Mew was struggling to beat them back with just his hands. He glanced back and saw his sword still on the ground then swung his arm back to call it into his hand.

Saturn retreated as Mew swung his sword down overhead, following through with a horizontal swing midway to lash out a wave of flame towards his opponent. He then dispelled his blade upon Saturn slicing through the flames with a kick.

She held her leg up and rolled the lower part of it around. Mew was drawn to it, as he expected some manner of trick to come from it. Nope! She just bolted forward and hit him right in the face with a simple kick.

Mew staggered back and lifted his head slightly as Saturn short hopped back and dropped a huge smoke bomb upon him. The view for a hundred feet around became obscured in smoke. A relatively thin cloud, Mew noted, with nothing that was bad to breath in.

Saturn came flying in, exposing herself with the glow from her rings. Mew drew his sword and easily swung it around to deflect her incoming attacks. But the moment she failed she came flying back in for another go. Her rings put on quite the light show inside this smoggy veil that was dissipating via the force of his swings.

And yet this display exposed Mew to a crucial fact he was overlooking. As he pressed the edge of his blade against a set of rings that came dangerously close to his face, he saw past the ignited sparks that the sets of rings were flying independently of one another.

"A diversion?!" He blurted out as he shoved the rings away and with one firm grunt blew aside all the smoke with wind.

Saturn didn't hide. She faced him head on and sprinted forward, her upper body leaning in towards the ground. With a boisterous cry of "That's right!" she rose and aimed to grasp his neck in her right hand.

Mew leaned back and tried to swing his sword to retaliate, but she was just too swift! And her aim wasn't quite as true as Mew had predicted. For leaning back left her _true _target ripe for the picking.

"Now give me your face!" She exclaimed as with a minor readjustment she had her small fingers firmly grasped around the sides of his face.

Carrying her momentum forward allowed her to pull Mew right off his feet and drag him along in the air. Mew swung his hands up to try and pull her off by the wrist. She responded in kind by fortifying her hand with an aura construct resembling the hand of a mech.

"No escape!" She declared as she squeezed around tighter. Mew closed his mouth and conserved air with slow paced breathing through his nose, trying to use his quick thinking to come up with a way out.

Unfortunately Mew's quickly coming to understand that he's met an opponent who thinks on a much faster level than he could ever hope to match. If she was a high-spec gaming PC, then he wasn't even a typewriter in comparison.

"Activating vibrators at the atomic level!" Saturn's hand started to glow a dim shade of red.

"Accelerating vibrations to three point one-four times the normal limit!" The glow grew brighter until it was a scorching mix of orange and yellow, the hand leaving a burning imprint across Mew's skin.

"HERE I GO!" Saturn roared as the pressure contained in her hand looked set to explode, "This hand of mine is burning red!"

Mew widened his eyes and thought, _"Oh no fucking way."_

"Its loud roar tells me to grasp victory!" The hand cracked at the seams and, unable to contain this explosive power for very much longer, Saturn dragged Mew's body to the ground and suspended herself above to hold him down.

"ERUPTING! BURNING! FIIIIINGER!" With one valiant yell ignited by the flames of her soul, Saturn commanded the heat contained within her hand to collapse upon itself and detonate upon Mew's face, climaxing in a furious cry of, "HEAT! ENDDD!"

Mew was sent hurtling across the ground by the explosive blast, his head consumed with a burning heat borne of her passion for justice. It was so hot, that smoke seeped off his skin and left black char marks when it subsided. He grit his teeth and slammed his arms against the ground to grind to a halt, leaving the skin on his elbow burning red.

He pulled himself onto his feet and let out a ghastly cough, expunging a bit of soot from his throat. He then rubbed the bottom of his chin free of a bit of blood and stared straight ahead. His eyes took a moment to readjust, but when they did he saw Saturn only a few feet away with her arms crossed as an expression of triumph.

"You survived! But I am only mildly impressed, villain!" Her wayward way of delivering praise didn't shake Mew too much.

"Hehehe..." Mew closed his eyes and let out a somewhat unhinged chuckle. Then he swung his head up high, crossed his arms against his chest, and casually said something that'd take any girl by surprise.

"Hey! If you aren't busy later, do you want to go out on a date?!"

To Mew's credit, the unshakable Saturn did momentarily pause upon hearing that. But after a couple blinks of her eyes she burst into laughter and exclaimed, "Rule 140 of Heroism: Never date your enemies!"

Mew reeled back a bit in shock and quickly rolled his shoulders while swinging his hands up beside his face, "Eh, it was worth a shot."

He then swung his fists up and narrowed his eyes, his gaze full of vigor. Saturn laid her hands down by her hips and declared, "You still think you stand a chance now do you?!"

"Hahaha!" She laughed with her head reared all the way back, "I, who stand in the full light of the heavens, am not the least bit phased by your dark determination, miscreant!"

"_I guess she's got every right to laugh me off. I haven't even scratched her battlesuit," _Mew squinted his eyes to give her body the once over, _"But I don't care how smart you are. Everything's got to have a weakness."_

Saturn snapped her fingers up by her face and created two triangular-like pods out of aura. They looked pretty complex in design, having a lot of little intricacies that would take hours to dissect if they were real. But for now they served Saturn's purpose as little turrets that buzzed around Mew and pelted him with energy blasts.

Mew swung a fist up to the right and used a bullet of compressed air to penetrate one of the pods. Saturn closed the distance and drove her fist down at his face. Mew turned in time to grab it and, while tanking a few hits from the remaining pod, summoned his sword and attempted to slash her suit.

He knew she'd break free with a kick to his gut, but even her speed couldn't save her from taking a cut across the gut. But it mattered not, for there was no lasting impact. The suit sealed itself back up like a zipper, and Saturn laughed his efforts off.

"Nanofibers son!" She boasted gleefully, "They instantly react to any outward damage done to my suit!"

"_Somehow, I'm not surprised..." _Mew limply dispelled his sword then threw his fist back to punch out the other pod while Saturn bragged, but then raised his brows in intrigue and thought, _"Only outward damage eh?"_

Mew cracked his knuckles and finally felt he had an idea worth exploring. He held his fists up and rushed Saturn with a few quick punches. She gracefully evaded them and retaliated by detaching her rings from her wrists, treating them like sharp flying discs.

Mew kept on the pursuit and swung his body around the blades. He leaped, twirled and slipped between a couple of blades and landed without breaking his stride. Saturn hopped back up high and recalled her rings the moment she landed on a slanted vertical platform of aura.

She bent down and stuck to it, pressing her fists against the platform and pounding it with blasts from her rings. It didn't appear to have any effect from an outward glance, but the insides of the platform pulsed like a stone bouncing on water with every blast. She was building up, no, containing, the pressure of her blasts until finally...

"BLAST AWAY!" The platform released all that built up force upon her legs and sent her hurtling straight at Mew like a comet. Mew barely swung his body out of the way then grit his teeth to brace for what was to come next. The platform expanded out into a dome that allowed Saturn to freely rebound in a confined space around Mew.

Her chances of successfully striking him only increased with every blow landed, and though he valiantly held his ground there was only so much punishment his body could take. She hit her mark true on his back and plowed him into the ground, where Mew briefly heard a snap coming from his spine.

Saturn used her fists to handstand on Mew's back and spin him around so fast that his body eventually looked like a hockey puck. Fitting, as when Saturn had her fun she hopped off and tossed him straight into a makeshift goalie's net. Upon landing she thrust her fist up and an explosion went off behind the net, with her ship blaring out a "GOOOOOOOAAAAL!"

Mew weakly grumbled and then started to lift his body up. Then Saturn swung her fist down and out came the iron bars to hold him in. She crossed her arms and declared, "Enjoy your time in jail, cretin!"

Mew narrowed his eyes then threw his right hand up to punch the net-jail combo off of him and give him the freedom to stand. Saturn lowered her arms slightly and with a "Feh" remarked, "Why must your kind always be so gosh darn stubborn?"

"It just comes with the territory!" Mew chuckled with a smirk.

"Hmph! Be that as it may, your tenacity will prove to be your undoing!" Saturn went charging right in for another round, not having a care in the world how she tackled the problem as in her mind, Mew wasn't a problem.

It was a mentality that Mew would soon have her second-guessing on, for as she came flying towards him he cracked a grin and quickly swung what seemed like a normal punch into her gut. She scraped his hip with a punch and then sped past him.

Mew turned around and watched as she started to slow down, her body trembling from head-to-toe.

"W-Whoooa!" She hollered, seemingly unfazed, and tip-toed her body back around. Mew rushed her and threw another simple punch into her chest, knocking her a couple feet back and making her quiver even more.

"_That's the ticket!" _Mew held his fist in place and his grin grew wider. However the specifics of his plan would quickly come under scrutiny by Saturn, whose cheeks widened with glee.

"Hahaha! Unable to best my brilliant suit head-on, you have chosen the coward's way out by attacking my cute little body with small earthquakes!" Saturn swung her head up high and exclaimed, "But its a fools errand! Watch...THIS!"

Her body started to vibrate all over, all at once. Glistening her expression with a big wide grin she caught Mew's full attention and explained herself, "My Vibro-Suit was designed to handle every element you can throw at me! Lightning bolts? I'll shrug them off! Fire? Not even an ember! Earthquakes? I'll match them with a counter-vibration! And best of all...!"

She closed her eyes as her voice started sounding a bit shaky and lucid, "It provides me with a full body massage to keep the good times going...Awwwwwww yeah."

Mew scoffed and smirked then pulled his fists up back to his hip. Saturn glared straight at him and remarked, "And still you believe you stand a chance! Ha! I will have you know that I haven't even used 1 trillionth of my true power!"

Saturn flipped back three times like an acrobatic to put a hundred feet between her and Mew. Upon landing her scarf morphed into a long tattered cape and her glass visor glowed with a thin neon light. She grabbed onto the side of her cape and whipped it off.

"Eat...THIS!" And in that same motion she threw her right hand up and from her massive supply of aura created a thick, circular drill that towered over her at about fifty feet tall.

Mew stood in the shadow of the drill once again feeling awe at what she's chosen to manifest her spirit. The blazing light of the drill shone down upon Saturn, obscuring most of her in shadow. But what couldn't be hidden was her smile, nor the determination in her iron stance.

The vibrations from her suit fed into the massive drill and caused it to start spinning. And once it was a mighty whirlwind of pure willpower she lowered it towards Mew and started to run at him, exclaiming at the top of her lungs, "GIIIIIGAAAA! DURRRRILLL..."

Mew, having the time of his life as his heart raced against his chest, grit his teeth and fought against the immense rotation of the drill to stand his ground. He dragged his arms towards the front of his chest and exclaimed, "You're not the only one who can pull tricks from other sources!"

As he wrapped his arms up in a coat of some purple metallish material, Saturn slammed the tip of her drill into him and punctuated her attack with a long, drawn out, "BREAAAAAAAKAAAAAAH!"

The force of the drill struck the surface of Mew's arms and immediately the metal responded. All that force, all that willpower, reverberated right off of it in one gigantic pulse of raw power. Cracks riddled the gigantic drill whole and shatter it apart into glass. Saturn, unfortunate enough to be on the other end of it, widened her eyes and was slammed head-on by the entire shockwave.

She fell to her back and went sliding hundreds of feet away in seconds. When things seemed to die down Mew lowered his arms and sighed in relief, "Oh thank god that worked..."

He then rushed in closer to Saturn's location. She suddenly sprung to her feet, struggling to stand upright. Mew paused a few feet away and cautiously awaited her next move.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" A very, VERY high-pitched squeal was the _last _thing he expected. Saturn grabbed onto the sides of her face and bent down, swerving her hips around as her excitement appeared almost...orgasmic.

"And they all said that vibranium was a MYTH! Hahaha! This is an amazing discovery! This'll change...EVERYTHING! HAHAHAH!"

"U-Uhhh...Are you ok?" Mew said, sounding genuinely concerned that he accidentally knocked her brain out of place.

Saturn firmed herself upright, crossed her arms against her chest, and exclaimed with all her usual boisterousness, "I am more than ok! It seems I have underestimated you!"

Mew blinked at her a few times as she went off on a brief tangent, "I have decided to name you as a worthy opponent! For once, you may hold your head up high and feel blessed by the prestige I have honored you with!"

Mew tilted his head to the right and stuttered, "Umm...Does that mean I beat you or...?"

"Oh heck no!" Saturn blurted, "You may be a worthy opponent...But you still have chosen to fight for the wrong side!"

Mew turned his body a little aside and, feeling like he'd never get another chance to do so, waved a hand out to ask, "What drives you to fight on like this?"

Saturn raised her head up slightly and took a moment to think. With her eyes gazing towards the thousands of stars she exclaimed, "To see the evils of this world be wiped away and everlasting peace restored a heroine can never stop! Even when the odds are stacked against me a million to one, I will fight for that one in a million shot of seeing a brighter tomorrow! For you see, justice is defined by those who win..."

She firmed her gaze upon Mew and slanted her eyes to boast, "And so **I**...WILL NEVER LOSE!"

She swung her arms down to her hips and a powerful hiss released from her suit. Mew jumped away on instinct, feeling as Saturn's power was skyrocketing to heights that dwarfed the other five Planetary Aurians combined. The orange lights on her suit started to be overtaken by silver, and the back of her suit burst wide open to expunge a pair of feathery white wings of aura.

"PROTOCOL NEO...ACTIVATE!"

"_T-This is...!" _Mew dug his feet into the ground but the waves of energy started shoving him further and further away. He watched as the wings on Saturn's back blossomed out into thousand foot long manifestations of her own justice. This angelic strength bathed over the battlefield and yet brought to Mew's mind a feeling of unrest.

"This is bad!" He began to realize.

The next nanosecond later Saturn had plunged her fist into Mew's stomach. The boy didn't even have any feeling from the punch even though such a mighty blow should've sent his innards flying out of his back. With a cocky smirk Saturn pulled her fist out and left Mew to cobble over in pain.

"This is...MY FINAL TECHNIQUE!" Saturn yelled as with one flap of her radiant wings she took flight high over the planet. The strength of her wings, for as gentle as they moved, pushed away the gas clouds compromising the planet.

Then she spread her wings far and wide and made sure that no one would miss her declaration of victory, "MOONLIGHT...BUTTERFLY!"

She took all the strength she had gathered and dove straight down towards Mew. The boy laid one hand on his stomach and felt the weight of his opponent's power crushing down on him from above.

"_Move damn it...!" _He demanded of his legs, which were frozen stiff in place. Saturn was approaching fast. There was little time to think of a plan out of this.

Mew's eyes started to close, but he thrust them right open and went, _"No! Gotta think! Come on!"_

His eyes closed again, and "D.'s" smile flashed before the darkness of his subconscious. He furiously opened his eyes and swung his head up to meet Saturn's descent with a roar. With his other free hand clung into a fist he threw out one gigantic punch at the exact moment that his and Saturn's eyes met.

The light from Saturn's wings collapsed into a massive singularity of energy as bright as a newborn star. What felt like an eternity passed in a second as the singularity burst apart, releasing a shockwave that cleaved half the gases off of the planet and spread them to the dark depths of space.

In the aftermath of this climatic clash of wills only one could remaining standing tall. And upon Mew's fist, with the last of her energy flickering out from her suit, laid Saturn on her stomach. She was silent as her battlesuit's pieces retreated into her watch, and her flowing hair draped over her body and obscured her face.

As Mew's arm fell limp by his hip her chin rested upon his shoulder and she heard his slow, ragged breathing. What she couldn't see however was the brief yellow tint in his eyes, which was joined by him grinning like a madman. But then with a shock to his heart the grin disappeared, and he was left motionless.

Saturn weakly raised her head and laid her spindly fingers onto Mew's arm. They were cold, and her voice was devoid of its usual vigor.

"Does this mean...that my justice was wrong?"

Mew quietly shook his head and sighed out, "Beats me...But I do know that you lost the battle."

Suddenly Saturn perked right back up to her feet and bounced off of Mew with a smile. She closed her eyes and remarked, "Indeed! But this can only have been a learning experience!"

Mew stared at her and started blinking as she thrust a finger right up to his face. Another finger nudged her glasses up as with a wicked smirk she declared, "The rules are the rules, so I _guess_ I can let you pass this time...But make no mistake! We...ARE NOW RIVALS!"

Once she drew her hand back Mew started laughing and proclaimed, "Sure! Why the hell not? I always wanted to have a rival!"

"Next time I will not lose!" She declared while whipping a stamp out from one of her many pockets and planting it firmly on the back of his hand. The stamp represented her doing her arm cross pose in her battlesuit, and was much, much more detailed than every other stamp thus far.

Mew looked up at Saturn and she wagged a finger in his face, telling him with a high degree of animosity, "You may have beaten me, but you will never foil Gravitus' plans for peace!"

Then with a kinda playful wink she tapped down on her watch and was caught in her ship's transport beam. From there she only had time to yell "FAREWELL!" before she was carried off. Then as her ship zoomed off to parts unknown, the effects her Drive had on the planet's rings started to fade.

"Oh! Guess I better scram." Mew made haste to fly back to Kairi's location before he'd lose track of where she was.

Upon landing on the stone he trotted up to her in a casual manner and placed his hands in his pockets. She was staring at him a little timidly. She was still a little freaked out, but Mew supposed that after seeing that level of insanity once it wasn't so bad the second time around.

He grinned and asked, "Soooo what did you learn?"

Kairi squeezed her eyes shut and let out a ten-second long sigh, setting a new record. She then rubbed her forehead and grumbled, "I learned that you're all insane..."

"Naaaah, we're just having fun is all!" Mew cheerfully proclaimed.

Kairi glanced at him from the corner of his eyes and wondered aloud, "Fun? Cause that sure didn't look fun near the end there."

"So things got a little heated and we took out most of Saturn..." Mew said nonchalantly, "But I'm still standing right?"

"...Right." Kairi mumbled something under her breath and then turned to Mew and raised her right hand towards him.

"Well, congratulations on your victory." This was some pretty sudden praise coming from her. But Mew gladly accepted it and started to raise his right hand up shake it...

"Ooooww!" But he forgot that it wasn't just hurt, it was broken. From shoulder to fingertips he felt every bone in his body aching and every muscle fiber on fire.

"I knew it!" Kairi suddenly reeled her hand back and with a bit of anger in her voice said, "You're hurt!"

Unless the pain was affecting his mind, Mew could've sworn she shouldn't legitimately concerned for his own well-being. Yet with a lighthearted chuckled Mew wiggled his mangled fingers around a little and remarked, "Ah its no big deal. I've recovered from much worse!"

"Liar." Kairi said accusingly.

"I'm telling the truth," Mew's overall relaxed attitude kept his lie strong even as he dug himself a deeper hole, "I'll be fine in no time. We can still train when we get back."

Kairi squinted at him and ruffled her lips into somewhat of a frown. She then turned towards the portal and walked through it. Mew let out a sigh of relief but felt a twinge of guilt for lying to her like that. Though he did believe his own lie a little, and assumed that his arm would be fine before tomorrow.

Before he headed through the portal however, he was disturbed by the words Saturn left him with.

"_You may have beaten me, but you will never foil Gravitus' plans for peace!"_

"Peace, huh..." With a narrowed glare Mew slowly entered the portal and found he couldn't stop thinking about that word...

_Next Time: The Curse of Life_


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Cursed Blood**

A short trek down the Pyramid brought Mew and Kairi back out into the warm sights of Sancturia. Mew stretched his one working arm over his head and let out a big, bellyaching grunt.

"Mmmm yeah! Its nice to back in someplace sunny!" He remarked with his usual jolliness.

Kairi grimaced as she responded, "I can't believe I'm saying this but...You're right."

"Yep! This really is a nice looking city during the day, if I do say so myself!" Saturn boasted with her head bobbing slowly.

"Indeed." Mew replied.

Him and Kairi then stared at the scenery for a little while before slowly pivoting their heads to the left. They looked at the brainy little scientist and she sharply turned to greet them.

"But you..." Kairi spun back to point at the Pyramid then thrust her finger back at Saturn while blabbering, "A-And we...!"

"Geez, just how fast is your ship?" Mew snatched up Kairi's question for himself.

"Hahaha! Rule Number 727: A Heroine Never Reveals her secrets!" Saturn boasted with her head up so high she looked like she'd fall over.

"Still you missed us already? Didn't take you for being a clingy type!" As Mew joked around the brainiac had already worked out a retort.

"Don't confabulate about your self-importance like that bucko! I was already on my way here before you soooo rudely interrupted!" She planted her fists on her hips and ran right up to Mew with her head leaned down.

She pressed her chin up to his chest and stared up. She now looked like some kind of emu. In that odd position she declared, "For your information buster, I'm the one in charge of maintenance here!"

"Y-You are?" Kairi blurted in shock.

Mew turned and gestured one hand out to say "Well it makes sense" as though her surprised was unwarranted.

Saturn peeled off Mew and stood right up with arms crossed. She leaned back and looked positively full of pride.

"Indeed! If I didn't maintain the thermodynamic engine powering the anti-gravity repulsors, or check the wiring on the quantum irregularity siphon, or refueled the tanks with quasi-ion pandimensional matter rearrangers, or Blah Blah Blah..."

Mew slowly dozed off then jolted himself awake to turn to Kairi. He gestured a hand up and she did the same with both while looking all wide-eyed. He then looked back at Saturn, who after a whole minute of this, finally got to the point.

"-This whole city'd be kissing the bare buttocks of the arctic sea! And that's not even getting into the cloaking system or the temperature regulators. Cause if I-!"

Mew planted his hand over her mouth and went, "Ok we get it. You're a hard working elf and Santa's proud of you."

Once he let go Saturn sneered and lavishly fluttered her fingers out, "Yes yes no applause necessary! I know I'm awesome!"

She then crossed her arms up and yelled, "Now if you'll excuse me...Maintenance awaits!"

She ran twenty feet then grinded to a halt. She spun back around, ran up to Mew, then grabbed his shoulders in her tiny hands and dragged him down to her eye level.

"I got my eye on you punk. So don't try anything funny!" She firmly declared into Mew's blinking, restrained expression. With one last smirk Saturn let go and went on her way.

Once she was gone Mew settled down to laugh. Kairi took this opportunity to remark, "I reeeeally hope they don't get any crazier than this..."

Mew crossed his one arm and put on a really good Saturn impression, "Rule Number 72: Don't count your chickens before they hatch!"

"That's NOT what that means," Kairi bluntly groaned, and rubbed the side of her head, "What lets just...go."

Starting the trip back to the Aurora household Mew chuckled and drew Kairi's begrudging interest in what he was thinking.

"What now?" She grumbled.

"I just find it funny the Planetary Aurians are considered fairy tales when two of them frequently visit the city."

"Well its not like they were picture books!" Kairi shouted in an uppity offended tone. Mew wound up laughing some more.

Gabriel was standing guard where they left him. His eyes creaked open lightly on their approach, and he pulled himself off the door.

"You're late." He said with a bit of dry wit to his voice.

"Ran into a bit of a roadblock on the way back chief." Mew joked.

"Ah, Catherine," Gabriel nodded slowly then said, "An endless bundle of energy that one. But her genius is second-to-none. Most of us have been more than happy to name her the leader of our little rag-tag group."

"You're not the leader?" Mew sounded shocked.

"I had to humbly decline the offer. My duty is to Sancturia..." Gabriel frowned a little bit as he looked at his wrist and remarked, "And I do not even know the first thing about how any of her technology works. Even operating the watch she made to hide my skin color from my people proves to be a challenge."

"Wait, so green is your normal skin color?" Mew pressed at him for more info, "What's up with that?"

Gabriel glanced at him from the corner of his eye then lowered his hands and put on a smile, "Perhaps that can be a story for another day. For now, isn't there something we must attend to?"

Mew slapped his forehead and went, "Right, the training! Almost forgot!"

With a deep chuckle Gabriel turned to Kairi and asked her, "Did you learn anything new today from watching Mew fight?"

"I-I think I did..." Kairi responded with her face hidden under the shadow of her cap.

"Well you can tell us at the dojo later. But for now I think its time we covered something fun!"

Mew a big ol' smile as he entered the house and went straight to the basement. When his student and fellow teacher joined him he took a few seconds to do some warm-up squats. Kairi's drooping eyes followed his every move until he stood up with a bounce looked to his notes.

"Today you're going to learn all about the finesse of..." He hopped and thrust one fist skyward, "Aerial combat!"

"H-Huh?" Kairi stammered after a momentary pause.

"Well I noticed you tend to jump around a lot so I figured you don't know how to fight in the air." Mew replied.

"T-That's not..." Kairi pouted then slowly faced the mirror once and asked, "Can't we...learn something else?"

"This is the next step! No sequence breaking or excuses allowed!" Mew waved his pointer finger up and said with a bit of sly grin, "So don't go saying you get vertigo, cause that won't _fly _in my classroom."

Laughing at his own pun he fails to see the red in Kairi's cheeks as she remarks, "O-Oh yeah! I get very sick if I'm too high off the ground!"

"Nonsense!" Mew said with a dopey smile, "That only happens in planes or jets!"

"How...how would you know? I-I could be a rare case!"

"What you are right now is a fruit case. Come on, what's the big deal?"

Kairi suddenly threw her arms down and shouted, "I can't fly asshole!"

Mew softened up as the fury in her voice flew right in his face. Looking a tad embarrassed he whistled then whispered, "I take that back. That's a pretty good excuse."

Kairi huffed and puffed and looked red as a beet. While giving her space Mew turned to Gabriel and wondered, "Isn't flying part of the basic education around here?"

"Only once you're an adult. Allowing children to fly free would lead to a...few problems if they roamed outside the city." He explained.

"Ok so children can be a buncha eager beavers, big whoop!" Mew then swung his arm out towards Kairi and exclaimed, "But people her age are smart enough to know not to get caught by the outside! So nah, that's dumb! Screw the rules, I'm going to teach you how to fly right now!"

Kairi bucked up and stared at Mew with her mouth ajar. He raised three fingers and counted them down as he said, "And it'll be easy as 1-2-3!"

"You're always making everything sound so easy!" Kairi yelled in exasperation, "What makes you think that I can learn-"

The moment Mew finished counting down his coiled fist sprung forward and sent a bullet of air at Kairi's head. She widened her eyes and jumped to the right to avoid it. Her heart visibly raced against her chest and Mew lowered his fist with a grin.

"Cause you've already shown yourself to be a fast learned when you actually try," He said confidently before waggling his pointer finger out and adding, "Just remember it takes more effort to frown than to smile."

Kairi calmed down in a couple long breaths then angrily spat at Mew, "Your metaphors suck!"

"I agree," Gabriel chimed in, "Perhaps I should tutor you in the art of metaphors?"

Mew shook his head between the two and blurted in exasperation, "What I'm **trying** to say is..."

He stared at Kairi with a smile, "Be a little more positive. You'll do just fine."

Kairi looked at him half-cocked then groaned under her breath. She then raised herself up and closed her eyes to say, "Fiiiiine, what do I do?"

"First you gotta close your eyes and concentrate, like when you learned how to dodge."

"Should I give her another massage?" Gabriel asked on approach to the mat.

Kairi swung her hand up like a stop sign and declared, "T-That won't be necessary...!"

As she laid it back by her hip she took a deep breath in and said, "I...I can do it myself."

"Ok so you know how your body produces sweat? Take the same principal behind that and apply it to your energy."

"What?" Kairi twitched slightly in disgust.

"...Start by focusing on your legs...Remember, you want to push the energy **out**."

Kairi's hands tensed up and she nodded her head. Then slowly, she tried to put Mew's teachings into practice. Mew sat down and closed his eyes to get a better feel for her energy levels. It was in disarray, pushing out all over the place. She still needed that one little push of motivation...

"Come on, you can do it. There's no need to be afraid." Mew whispered softly enough for her to hear.

After a couple of minutes of waiting she began to murmur and her energy stabilized. Mew grinned and thought to himself, _"That's the spirit!"_

He opened his eyes and watched as Kairi's positioning seemed a little different. On closer inspection Mew saw that her feet were a millimeter off the ground, and that the gap was steadily growing bigger. She wobbled back and forth a little as part of the adjustment phase, and her trembling threatened to undo all the progress so far.

Mew stood up and with a subtle wave of the hand sent a mild breeze her way. It was his hope that feeling the wind caressing against her body would ease her mind. And judging by the decrease in trembling a few seconds later, his estimate was right on the money.

In fact, doing so sped up the act of her rising. Mew smiled and softly clapped at her making progress. Kairi stirred and wondered, "W-What's going on?"

Mew grinned and hollered out, "Why don't you open your eyes and find out!"

She did so right away and turned a mix of pale and green in the face. She tilted her head down. Mew must have looked smaller from her point of view as she continued rising off the mat. Her eyes trembled and with an elated grin she declared, "I-I'm flying?!"

Mew wanted to offer his sincerest congratulations but nearly forgot one important thing. He swung his hand up and exclaimed, "Actually, you might want to-"

Kairi rose too high too fast and bonked her head on the ceiling. She dropped straight down to the mat on her back and groaned in pain. Mew's smile squirmed into a frown and he ran right over to hold his hand out and offer assistance.

Kairi rubbed the top of her head and sat up. She reached her other hand out towards Mew, then paused halfway and brushed his hand away. Once she stood up on her own she blushed and tucked her face under the lip of her cap.

Mew backed off and held his one arm up to his chest. With a close-eyed grin he remarked, "Embarrassing head bonk aside, you did it!"

Kairi pushed her cap up a little and her pupils enlarged as she turned her gaze away from Mew. Her heart looked like it was racing with excitement as she stammered out, "I-I did...didn't I?"

Gabriel nodded from the corner of their eyes and injected himself into the conversation, "Yes you did. _This _is something to be proud of Kairi."

Kairi's cheeks turned red and she spun away from the both of them for a little bit. She tapped one foot on the ground and then lifted her head towards the ceiling to proclaim, "I want to try it again, just to be sure!"

"Well that's great and all but wouldn't it better if you went outside?" Mew chucked aloud.

Kairi spun her head back for a brief moment then coughed out "R-Right..." as she rubbed the sore spot on her head. Then she ran right for the stairs. Mew and Gabriel had never seen her be this energetic before. It brought a smile to Gabriel's face as he followed her along outside.

Once the three had gathered Kairi pumped her fists up by her chest and closed her eyes shut. She breathed in and out, then muttered "Focus" to herself a few times. She slowly rose off the ground and was floating ten feet in the air in only a few seconds.

She opened her eyes and caught the envious gaze of the few Aurians wandering around. The next thing Mew and Gabriel knew she was flashing a smug smile at all of them and yelling, "Look at me suckers! I can fly!"

Mew stiffened up, puckered his lips and whispered, "Oh no..."

Kairi held her arms out like the wings of a plane and did a quick loop-de-loop in place. Then she zoomed forward, flying right over the houses of Sancturia with ease, laughing merrily all the while.

Though Mew was glad she picked this up like it was second nature to her, he had a little more faith that she wouldn't use this to brag. As he started rubbing his forehead and sighing Gabriel put a hand on his shoulder and reassured him a little.

"I'll go keep an eye on her so she doesn't get into trouble." Said as Kairi speeds right on by them, cheerfully yelling to the humbled crowd, "Look at me! I'm lighter than air!"

Mew sighed but then smiled at her flight of fancy as at the very least, she was happy. He then glanced at Gabriel and told him, "She's in your hands Big Green. I'm just gonna rest a bit..."

He retreated back into the house and sat down on one of the couches. His broken arm gave him some grief when he accidentally leaned up against it and the pain shot up to his brain like a rusted metal spike.

"Ssssss...!" Mew hissed and gently moved his hip off it, lamenting that, "Hooo boy this isn't gonna be an easy fix..."

Suddenly his vision was obscured in the shadow of something smooth and soft, and a familiar friendly voice teased him with a high-pitched "Guuuuess who?"

Mew's smile turned wobbly like jello as he answered, "How many guesses do I get?"

"Hmmm, three." They answered.

"Do they have short gradient hair?"

"Yessss." They replied in a sing-song manner.

"D-Do they have a rockin' body?" Mew stuttered with a big grin on his face, and he tickled the side of his chin.

"Oh absolutely." They replied.

"And are your hands currently covering my eyes, Auris?" Mew ended the estimation on what he felt was a high note. Unfortunately as the ten fingers on his shoulders would soon prove, he was just a _little _bit off.

"Sorry, try again." She said as she lifted her hefty curtain from over his face and laid them atop his head. Mew slowly stared up and just barely was able to look past her chest to see her smiling at him playfully.

He reacted with shock and pulled his head out from under her chest. His face turned bright red and he nearly stumbled right off the couch. Auris giggled and then walked around the couch to sit herself right down beside Mew. She reached for his broken arm and gently lifted it up. The pain was dulled a bit by her stroking his skin from elbow to wrist, but instead brought out a sense of arousal from deep within Mew's loins.

"Do you want me to kiss your boo-boo and make it feel better?" She asked.

"_B-Boy am I learning a lot about myself this week..." _Mew tightened his eyes shut and with a weak smile of resistance he replied, "A-Are you serious or..."

Auris' hand glowed a gentle sea blue as she slowly rubbed her fingers up and down Mew's entire arm. Mew stared and watched without a word as he could feel his bones mend back together and the rigamortis in his muscles vanish. All the whole Auris hummed a melody that took Mew's mind off the pain that lingered as she worked.

Once she was done she released her grip on his arm and he was able to lower and flex it without feeling a thing. As he gave his arm the whole glance-around he remarked, "Holy crap you've gotta teach me how to do that!"

"That..." Auris leaned away and put a finger up to her lips, "Is an Aurian secret."

She gave him a wink and then sat herself up against the arm of the couch. Mew looked at her and saw that she had this curious look in her eye. Mew sighed and suspected her intentions almost right away, "Ahh...now you want to talk."

"It'll be sufficient recompense for the massage you just got."

"Fair enough but it probably won't take long for your daughter to come back." Mew said while leaning back on the opposite end of the couch.

"Oh I think we'll have plenty of time." She whispered deeply.

Mew shrugged his shoulders, enjoying how refreshed his arms felt for a moment, and said to her, "Alright then lets start off on Saturn."

"Ah yes, Catherine. A real sweet heart that one." Auris said while brushing the back of her hand up by her lips.

"_Really? I must've missed the memo..." _Mew cut the sass out and went straight to the point, "Yeah she is. A little too sweet for someone working under Gravitus."

Mew rolled a hand around in the air and added, "Its not just her. Every Planetary Aurian so far besides Gabriel is working for Gravitus willingly...But none of them have struck me as bad people."

Auris gently lowered her eyelids and laid her hands atop her waist. Evading Mew's gaze she spoke softly in a reprimanding tone, "Did you forget the conversation we had last night about the evils of charisma?"

"What's going on with the Planetary Aurians goes way beyond a few charismatic speeches. Saturn's weird but when we butted heads I could tell that her cause of justice was genuine. If Gravitus is as much of a threat as you say he is then why would she ever believe his talks of 'peace'?"

"Belief isn't gifted, its earned. And for better or for worse that man has pulled the wool over all their eyes. Even Gabriel is no exception to that..." As Auris closed her eyes Mew widened his a little.

"What are you saying?" He wondered, feeling a twinge of dread.

She creased up a smile and remarked, "I shall always be grateful to Gabriel for keeping to his oath after all these years...But it is that same oath that allowed Gravitus to lie and keep him subservient all this time."

She dangled a hand up over her chest and lifted her head up all the way to state, "The truth isn't that I am a hostage to keep Gabriel in line..._Gabriel _is the hostage to keep _me _in line."

"W-What?" Mew's mind was frazzled for a moment but after shaking his head he threw his hands out and blurted, "That doesn't make any sense!"

"Doesn't it? If you keep seeking the truth-"

"No!" Mew slammed his hand up against the back of the couch and narrowed his eyes towards Auris. His teeth were bitten in a scowl that was a mix of frustration and disappointment.

"I've had it up to here with the secret keeping Auris! I want to trust you, I really, REALLY do, but you can't keep doing this!" As Auris showed no physical response Mew gripped the head of the couch and stared her deep in the eyes, his irises flashing a dim shade of yellow as he growled and begged, "Just give me one good reason why I should trust you. One reason. That's all I'm asking."

Auris closed her eyes and whispered, "I can do you one better. I shall give you...**two**."

She then pulled herself off the couch and turned her back to Mew, giving him a brief respite. Then she turned around and suddenly had a sharp butcher's knife drawn in her right hand. With a glistening smile she raised the knife up near her face and had Mew in a state of shock.

"Where did you..." Mew narrowed his eyes, shook his head and punched the back of the couch as he started to stand up and say, "You better not be thinking of threatening me with a knife."

Auris closed her eyes and with a demure expression she started to lower the knife to her neck and remarked, "I just think its time we..._cut _to the chase."

She placed the sharp edge of the blade up against her skin. Mew gasped and swung his hand out but was too late. She gently glided the blade across her neck in one clean stroke, and at least a pint of blood splashed out onto her robe.

Mew felt his stomach churn and his vision grow faint for a moment. But what snapped him out of diving into a spiral of despair was that not even a second later he saw Auris' smile spread. She held the knife up beside her face and it was clean as a whistle. And her neck, which Mew saw get cut in a straight line, had no wound to speak of. All that blood that splattered onto her skin started to get sucked right back in through her pores until the only proof that she did this existed entirely on her clothes.

Mew could feel his blood leaving his face as he got a little woozy and collapsed back onto the couch. And "D.", with his nasty little laugh, jollily whispered into Mew's mind, _"Told you so."_

Mew stared blankly at the ceiling until Auris entered his view. She tucked the knife away in her cleavage and then used her amazonian strength to pick Mew up and sit him upright on the arm of the couch. Then she gently patted him on the head like nothing had changed.

"Did you actually believe that the full extent of my immortality was to keep me from growing old and withered?" She asked with her smile in a thin crease.

Mew didn't have a comeback. No quip, no insult, not even a "Huh?" He just continued staring at Auris as she sat down opposite of him and put her hands on her waist.

"My father's greatest 'gift' to me...Eternal life. I cannot grow old, and I cannot be killed...Not unless I am destroyed down to the very last molecule. I will stand beside time and walk its long and winding road to the end of days," Her gaze turned hollow while her voice retained its mature allure, "That is the curse of the Aurora name. The curse of our blood..."

Mew cracked a grin and started laughing to himself, "Ha...haha. Y-You say that so easily..."

"After two-thousand years of living you learn to adapt." She replied nonchalantly.

Mew paused and took a large gulp. Then he tried to sit himself back up and meekly inquire, "Y-You said your father did this to you. H-H-How exactly?"

"I could explain it all, but..." Auris started to reach for the shoulders of her robe to pull them off, "Perhaps it'd be better if I showed you."

She revealed her skin down to the shoulders, which her undershirt did not reach. There Mew saw something that made his stomach churn. It was part of a massive rune that glowed with a gruesome, dark crimson hue. The detail on the rune was frightening. It looked like it cut into her like a scar. And judging from the size and shape of it, the rune had to have stretched over the rest of her body.

The longer Mew looked at it the more drained he felt. The rune was sapping him of strength and making him woozy. But then Auris covered herself right back up and he went back to being in tip-top shape.

"_What the hell was that?" _Was a basic if not damning question on his end. Mew had never seen anything so twisted in his life. It was like the language of the Elder Gods had been grafted into Auris' skin.

And the answer, Mew would find, laid on the tip of Auris' tongue, "The Anti-Genesis Theorem."

"The...what?" Mew sputtered, surprised that she seemed to read his mind.

"A magic formula the Ten Sages created as an answer to my husband's growing power. It is the complete inverse of the ten elements, and any beings whom rely on elementary energy to function grow weaker and weaker in its presence until they die. And by grafting the formula onto a living being's body, they can be granted other abnormal powers far beyond mortal comprehension."

"S-So your immortality, and your clai-"

"Are my blessing," Auris laid a hand down near the bottom of her waist, "And my curse."

Mew looked down but then got a bit embarrassed and thus looked right back up at her face. He waved a hand out and wondered, "So Kairi...?"

"No. The Anti-Genesis Theorem isn't something that's passed down through blood." She hastily replied to a question that was never asked.

Mew's mind was thrown into chaos enough, but in his attempts to push aside the clouds he had lost track of the time. Thus by the time he thought about getting back to the subject of Gravitus, he was shocked upright by a holler of "I'm back!" from Kairi at the door.

Mew and Auris swung their heads to the door and, in a scene that mirrored his first encounter with Kairi, Mew's face turned bright red as she stared at the two of them sitting on the couch. Kairi squinted her eyes, planted her fists on her hips and leaned in looking ready to chew the two out angrily.

But upon Kairi's mouth opening Auris stood right up and distracted her with a worrying sight.

"M-Mom your clothes..." Kairi gasped in pale fright.

"Oh I was preparing some spaghetti sauce and spilled some of it on my clothes. Clumsy me!" She put on the act of an innocent mother a little _too _well, as even Mew believed she was telling the truth for just a moment.

And quickly after Auris put her hands down at her waist and recognized the elation her daughter shown earlier, "You seem to be in a good mood today my dear. Did something happen?"

Kairi fluttered her eyes then retreated back a little, looking a little embarrassed to admit, "Y-Yeah I uhhh...learned how to fly."

"Oh that's wonderful!" Auris clapped her hands a few times then said, "Mew has been teaching you well."

Kairi swung her head up and her pupils shrunk to the size of pins. She then yelled out somewhat angrily, "Y-Yeah he has! So keep your hands off him mom, cause he's mine!"

Kairi's skin turned pale as she found Mew and Auris staring blankly at her little outburst. With a rough cough she turned aside and 'added', "A-As my trainer...You know?"

"Oh well, pardon me for interrupting then." Auris turned towards the kitchen, flashing a sly smile at Mew for a moment before making her way there. Mew stared at her the whole walk and realizes that he's just been played like a damn fiddle.

"_Oh she's good. She's TOO good." _

His frustration was knocked out of his skull by Kairi socking him on the back of his head and saying, "Hey idiot! Quit daydreaming and get a move on!"

Mew turned to her and rubbed the back of his head. Kairi was in a huff but also, seemed to be very happy. She smiled smugly and after a little laughter she went towards the stairs. When she was gone Gabriel finally returned to the house sweating from his stone-cold face.

"Wow, she really ran you dry didn't she?" Mew joked, a much needed reprieve of amusement after the staggeringly overwhelming revelations over the last few minutes.

Gabriel stared at him narrowly then made his way back to the basement. With nothing better to do except stew in his own thoughts, of which there was a **lot **to mull over, Mew figured he'd head down and sort all that out later tonight.

Kairi and Gabriel were back in their positions near the mat. Kairi was riding the high off of mastering flying in a matter of minutes and had a big grin on her face.

"Alright, what's next?!" She demanded to know.

Her attitude was borderline cocky and so Mew had no guilt on his mind when he told her, "Flying was the easiest thing I had to teach you. You still have to learn how to utilize it in combat."

Kairi stopped grinning and with a careless roll of the shoulders remarked, "Shouldn't be that hard right? I just need to apply what I know about ground combat to the air!"

Mew crossed his arms up and said, "Just because you can drive a car doesn't mean you can fly a jet."

He then turned to Gabriel and nudged his head at him in hopes he made a good comparison. The man stiffened up and whispered, "I don't know what either of those things are."

Mew sighed then swung his head back in exasperation, "POINT IS...There's a whole different set of rules to combat when you're flying."

"You've got to worry about balancing the momentum of your attacks with the speed of your flight, otherwise you'll just be tumbling everywhere," Mew then pointed at his chest a couple times and said, "Doesn't help that you've got a little extra weight up front."

Kairi immediately set her glare on him and Mew throws his hands up with a hasty self-defense of, "I'm just saying to keep that in mind, geez!"

"Sure you are, pervert." Kairi couldn't be prevented from saying that however.

Mew closes his eyes and sighs to her, "Look just give it a test run for a bit and you'll see what I mean."

"Oh? And are you going to be my training dummy again?" Kairi asked with a bit too much enthusiasm.

"Not a chance. Just take a few swings at the air for a little bit." Mew then vacated the mat on the opposite side of where Gabriel stood.

Kairi pouted in disappointment but then used what she learned to levitate off the ground and suspend herself in place. There was no cause for alarm regarding her hitting the ceiling this go around. She then pulled out her staff in both hands and squinted her gaze forward.

She lifted her staff, swung it down with great force, and instantly went tumbling forward through the air. She dropped her cap and her ponytail flew in her face by the time she got back upright. She brushed the hair away with her breath then turned around and tried again.

She still went tumbling but this time floated upside-down when she was done. With a bothered groan she tried AGAIN and the results weren't any different. Mew had a good laugh at that and gracefully laid back up against the wall to see her try and work it all out.

After a few minutes of observation Mew was bothered but his old pal "D.", who grumbled in his mind the words, _"You're still bothering with this nonsense after everything you just learned?"_

Mew whispered to avoid arousing suspicion, "I admit everything I learned from Auris is bonkers but it WAS an effective way of earning my trust."

"_Trust schmust. So she bled her black heart out to you, so what? She continues to make you dance to her tune and you just go 'Ok!' and let her do it!"_

"You know what 'D.'? I think you're jealous because she's good at manipulating and you suck."

"_How does your mind possibly jump to such asinine conclusions?!" _The demon replied in a raspy tone, _"She still kept that hidden from you until you forced her hand. She lies, tempts and manipulates everyone around her to do things her way...Including her own flesh and blood."_

Mew looked to Kairi and saw her having a somewhat better time swing her staff mid-flight. He remembered for a moment the quick excuse Auris came up with to hide the blood on her dress and whispered aloud, "It does seem like Kairi doesn't know..."

"_And if that wench doesn't trust her daughter, why should you trust __**her**__?" _"D.'s" hallow whispers then faded into the recesses of Mew's mind.

"You're talking to yourself again." Kairi's blunt comment snapped Mew out of that brief funk he was having.

He looked up and she was looking down at him. Mew just swung his hands up and laughed, "What are you the conversation police?"

He then waved a hand down and remarked, "Come down for a moment I wanna ask you something."

Cautiously lowering herself to the ground Kairi kept her staff out as she murmured, "What?"

Mew knew he'd be walking on glass shards but went "Screw it" and asked, "How do you feel about your mom?"

Gabriel's eyes perked up and narrowed in on Mew's location. He kept going anyways despite the slight discomfort on Kairi's face, "Cause I couldn't help but notice you guys got a somewhat rocky relationship."

Kairi scoffed and turned her head away. Then she stammered out, "W-What's that gotta do with anything?"

"I was just curious, y'know."

Mew's nonchalant attitude set Kairi off something fierce and she threw her arms down to yell, "Well butt out! Its none of your business!"

After a long-winded growl she dropped her staff and ran for the stairs. Mew blinked a few times and rubbed the back of his head in confusion. Gabriel enlightened him by bluntly stating, "I don't know why you thought that was a good idea."

"What, it was an honest question," Mew said with genuine ignorance, then tilted his head down and bit his teeth into a scowl to remark, "...Was it really that bad?"

"Lady Auris told you something in the short time we were gone, didn't she?" Gabriel deduced with shocking accuracy.

"How did-"

"I could see it in your eyes. They're as pale as a ghost's." Gabriel walked to the other side of the mat and got in close enough so that they could communicate in whispers.

"She entrusted you with her darkest secret, didn't she?" He said while leaning in to Mew's ear.

Mew widened his eyes and replied with a slow bob of his head, "Yeah...Yeah she did."

"Hrrmmm..." Gabriel closing his eyes could've meant many things. From Mew's point of view though he saw it as him feeling conflicted over her decision.

"It can't be helped. If she decided it was appropriate to tell you, then that infers a great deal of trust in your ability to handle the truth," Gabriel glared and firmly told him, "Which means you are not to discuss this with Kairi, no matter what."

"But why doesn't she know? She's going to find out eventually!"

"If you're worried about the immortality don't be. Lady Auris already told Kairi about that," Before Mew could interject Gabriel added, "But she knows _nothing _about the others parts of her curse..."

"That still doesn't sound very fair if you ask me." Mew sighed and rubbed the back of his head some more.

"Your desire to help is admirable, but there are some battles you can't win," Gabriel glanced at the stairs and sighed himself before he noted, "This is something that mother and daughter must settle on their own."

"I just wish I knew why. It sucks not knowing things sometimes..." Mew sighed louder, as though this was becoming a contest of who could sigh the most.

Gabriel glanced at him with a bit of a smile and offered a bit of his wisdom to ease Mew's mind, "Trust in Lady Auris. She may seem cold on the outside, but if her hope after all these years isn't proof enough of the strength of her character...Then I do not know what is."

"I guess you're right. I don't know the first thing about what it's like to be a mother." Mew cracked a bit of a grin at that and Gabriel joined in with a chuckle.

"Yes well...Its not as easy as it sounds. Even harder when you consider she's doing it on her own."

"Oh yeah, she's a single mother..." When that clicked in Mew's head he turned to Gabriel and started to ask, "What happened to her father?"

But he was interrupted by Kairi coming back down the stairs looking a lot less red in the face and holding a glass of water in her right hand. She looked at Mew for a moment then swung her head up and downed the whole glass in a second. She then walked on over to the mat and without being prompted levitated off the ground and resumed training.

Mew and Gabriel watched in silence for a few moments. Kairi was angry but used that anger as motivation to swing her staff without going tumbling in the air. After watching that for a few seconds Mew cautiously approached the mat and said "Hey" to draw her attention.

"What?" She growled angrily at him.

"I'm sorry for what I said. It was way out of line and you have every right to be mad." Mew gave his sincerest apology but she didn't say a word back or even turn to look at him.

After she took a few more swings she suddenly swung her staff down at Mew's face, stopping just before it touched his nose. She lowered herself to the ground and pushed the tip of her staff up to his face.

"I. Am not. MAD!" She yelled.

"Well you're stressed out and I know that its my fault," Mew closed his eyes, put his hands down and smiled as he said, "So just this once I'll let you hit me if it'll help you vent a little."

Kairi paused then reeled her staff as far back behind her head as her arms would allow. Mew could hear her grinding her teeth together and fidgeting at the idea of smacking him clean in the face. But that devastating blow never came to pass. She simply smacked the mat once and turned away.

"Forget it...Its not going to change anything..." She admitted in a melancholic tone.

Mew silently sighed in relief and then opened his eyes. He then got up onto the mat in a hurry and said, "So lets do something that will make a change!"

He tucked his hands in his pockets and hopped on one-foot over to the notes. There he got a bright idea and shouted out to Gabriel, "Yo Big Green, I need your help on this one!"

"What can I do for you?" He asked while walking on over to the mat, with Kairi still acting a little on edge beside himself.

Mew raised one hand up and snapped his fingers straight before his chest, "You're going to teach me everything there is to know about Drives! And then...I'm going to help her master her Beast Tamer Drive!"

_Next Time: Beastly Bravado_


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: The Beast with a Billion Bodies**

_A few minutes ago..._

Kairi ran up the stairs in a huff over Mew's brash question. She needed to cool off, get away from the sight of him and that everlasting smile of his.

"_He's so annoying!" _A statement Kairi's found herself repeating all too often these past couple of days, _"Where does he get off saying such...such things?!"_

She stampeded her way towards the kitchen, flipped open one of the cupboard doors, ripped out a small glass, then slammed it down next to the sink. Her glare was locked straight ahead, her body quivering with a growl. She turned on the cold water to fill the cup, but just wound up holding the glass in place and letting the water cascade onto her hand.

She imagined the glass as Mew's neck and tightened her grip on it. She made a few garbled noises until a voice saw fit to intervene.

"Is everything alright dear?" The tender voice could only have belonged to her mother. Kairi flinched and turned her head to the right, and found her tending to a hot pot of spaghetti sauce. Whereas usually a mother's voice would be enough to calm someone down, in this instance it only redirected Kairi's glare towards her. Though on the plus side, it did dampen her scowl into somewhat of a pout.

"I-Its nothing..." Kairi whispered as she pulled her glass out of the sink and turned it off.

Auris laid out a knowing smile much to Kairi's annoyance. She then took her attention away from the meal in progress to address her daughter in a teasing tone, "If Mew is giving you trouble, then I can punish him."

Kairi's cheeks turned red and she blabbered out in anger, "Don't even think about it mom! H-He's..."

Kairi paused for a moment as one of Mew's smiles flashed in her mind. It made her heart stop for a fleeting moment and left her with her mouth partially agape.

She then looked to the headband dangling around her neck. She lifted it up and stared at her reflection for a bit. And the reflection seemed to stare back on its own, with its hair being a shiny blonde. Kairi squeezed her hand around the metal piece to cover the reflection then closed her eyes for good measure.

"_...Just finish his training, and once you've killed Gravitus he'll be out of your life forever. Him and his smug, stupid grin!" _

"He's?" Auris leaned in close with a smile.

Kairi only realized then that she had been out of it for a whole minute. Her hands were a little shaky and some water spilled as she went to take a sip. But then she turned away from her doting mother and grumbled to her, "H-He's just a means to an end..."

And on the way out of the kitchen she made a half-hearted attempt to say, "And he means nothing to me..."

_Back in the Present..._

Kairi found herself forced to go along with Mew's ignorance once again.

"_This is what, the seventh time someone's had to teach this idiot about our culture?" _Kairi rubbed her shoulders up against the nearby mirror and let out a sigh, _"I've lost track at this point..."_

Mew sat down on the edge of the mat and Gabriel took the spotlight on the center. He forced a couple coughs as he pressed his fist up to his mouth. Looking a tad embarrassed, he had the decency to admit to his two students, "I've passed down my knowledge throughout the years but never once have I considered myself a teacher."

"You don't have to worry about me," Kairi closed her eyes and mumbled with an air of superiority, "Its this dense dilweed who needs the tutoring."

Gabriel chuckled softly and raised a counterpoint, "You may be doing well in school, but there's still plenty you can learn."

"Hrrrrm..." Kairi growled inwardly in irritation. She then opened her eyes somewhat to glare at Mew, and shut them up to state, "Just make it quick Gabriel."

"What's the rush?" Mew asked in his usual, grating nonchalance before cracking a smile, "We got all day."

"If it somehow takes you all day to learn this then you're hopeless."

"Heh," Mew got cocky all of a sudden, "We'll see about that!"

"Must you always have a response to everything?" Kairi grumbled, followed by Gabriel letting out another, more coarse sounding cough to get the two in line.

Kairi shut up and Mew did too, proving that such a thing was possible. Gabriel then held his right wrist out towards Mew to begin his hopefully short history lesson.

"Drives represent the physical crystallization of concepts. No one knows for sure when or how Drives came into existence, but we know everything there is to know about how they function."

"Like humans, Aurians have bloodstreams. But where we differ is that our aura flows in tandem with our blood vessels. However...On the day we are born there is something missing from our aura. An essential building block one could say."

"That is where the Drives come in. Attached to each Drive is an invisible, ethereal spike that plunges itself into the empty gap in an Aurian's aura flow. And from that point on an Aurian can use their aura."

"Wait so..." Mew interrupted with a raise of the hand, "Aurians are defenseless from birth?"

"What, did you think Gabriel was this strong as a baby?" Kairi scoffed at Mew's stupidity.

Yet Mew had to grin and crack a joke at it, "Now that you mention it I did have this funny image swirling around of baby Gabriel swinging a sword around."

Mew whirled a finger around his head and Gabriel cracked a hearty chuckle. Kairi glared at him but couldn't bring herself to get angry.

Gabriel then put on a straight face and remarked, "But yes. An Aurian is defenseless until they are eight years old. That is when they are given their Drive."

"How does that work exactly?" Mew interrupted yet again, "Does it just appear to them or...?"

"Did you NOT notice the giant archive building on the North side of town?!" Kairi yelled out, peeling herself away from the mirror.

This shook Mew and Gabriel, who up until this point were enjoying a normal conversation before she rudely interrupted. Mew's attitude remained pleasant as he explained, "Well gosh no. I've only visited the South side of town."

"...Oh," Kairi felt a bit of remorse only to quickly doubled-down on the bluntness, "Well that's not my fault!"

Mew just hung his eyelids and sighed. Kairi glared at him some more, so Gabriel had to work fast to get the conversation back in order.

"Anyways..." He spoke soft, but with a firm voice, "As Kairi said, there is a building to the far North of Sancturia where all Drives are stored. On the day of their eighth birthday, Aurians are taken to the archive to be bequeathed the Drive that shall remain their partner until their end of days."

"Question," Mew continued unprompted, "Why wouldn't Gravitus be able to just take the power of all the Drives for himself?"

Kairi gawked but pinched her lips shut and thought, _"...That's a good question actually..."_

To which Gabriel already had the answer, "Because even to the strongest Aurians, there is a limit to how much power they can wield."

"An Aurian's Drive is predetermined from birth. The Aura chooses it ahead of time."

"You're saying the Aura is sentient?" Mew lazily tilted his head.

"How else can this behavior be explained? Its certainly not biological," Gabriel's deep response would be pushed to the wayside as he got back on track, "And to help expedite the process of Aurians receiving their Drives, Lady Auris is the one tasked with picking them out."

"Aaaaah, gotcha. She would have the easiest time knowing wouldn't she?"

Kairi looked at Mew with a puzzled expression and mumble of, "What does he mean by that?"

Gabriel suddenly coughed and Mew perked up, as though he did something wrong. Then after a smile he asked a rather strange question.

"But what about Aurians that can wield two Drives?"

"What?" Kairi slowly opened her eyes and peeled herself away from the wall, waving her hand out and scoffing at the notion, "Aurians can't wield two Drives stupid. Where would you even-"

She turned towards Gabriel and though he was not in discomfort, his confusion was an odd expression for him to wear.

"Who told you that?" He said in a pressing tone.

"_What?!" _Kairi widened her eyes all the way and couldn't believe that Mew said something stupid that just so happened to be true.

She looked to Mew and saw him clamming up by sucking his lips inward and glancing around. She knew right away that he wasn't planning on telling the truth.

"Oh umm...Bobby told me. Said it was in an old history book?" He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. He was lucky that Gabriel didn't feeling like pressing the issue.

"Hmmm..." Gabriel closed his eyes and remarked, "It doesn't matter."

"S-So its true then?" Kairi asked, her entire world blown.

"...Some Aurians **are **strong enough to wield two Drives," Gabriel opened his eyes and shook his head, "But one hasn't been born in the last two-thousand years."

"How does that work exactly? Cause you said an Aurian needs a Drive to be able to wield aura. So if they need two Drives..."

"No. One Drive is sufficient enough even for someone capable of wielding two." Gabriel intervened as though he knew from experience.

"Alright, got it!" Mew clapped his hands and suddenly stood up, then pointed at Gabriel's wrist to ask, "So how come you don't have a Drive visible on your wrist?"

Gabriel raised his wrist up to his face and smiled at it. Kairi looked at him and found herself feeling the same as Mew did, an overwhelming sense of curiosity that formed from a realization of how little she knew of Gabriel's past.

"Gabriel..." She whispered his name in concern and the man glanced at her for a moment.

He then lowered his hand and remarked, "The circumstances behind the Planetary Aurians having their powers are different from most other Aurians, but they still operate with the same principles. As it stands now an Aurian that uses their Drives frequently enough will eventually have it dissolve into their aura, making their power a natural part of them instead of something that must be activated via a bracelet."

"So what you're saying is that Drives are nutrients and adrenaline acts as enzymes to break it down?" Mew's apt comparison drew the others' attention towards him in utter shock. Mew waved a hand up by his face and went, "What?"

After some blinking in silence from them Mew shrugged and said, "Well whatever, I think I get it now."

"_Boy wouldn't that be the day..."_ Kairi thought, knowing that he'd be asking even more dumb questions in the future.

"Hold on," Gabriel stated, surprising Kairi with his willingness to drag this out, "There's one other thing you need to know about Dirves."

"_Oh yeah..."_ Kairi slapped the side of her face and thought the same thing Gabriel would say, "The Tier System."

"Tier system?" Mew's eyes lit up like candlelights.

"Of course," Kairi grumbled, "Bring up power levels and he goes gaga over it..."

Gabriel dove right into what he needed to explain, "Yes. All the Drives in Sancturia are separated into five tiers based on power, functionality, and versatility. Tier 1 Drives are the weakest, and Tier 5s the strongest."

"Hmm," Mew waved a hand around and asked, "Just to give me a better idea of how that works could you use the Planetary Aurians as references?"

"Absolutely." Gabriel held his left hand out and started to write symbols and numbers with his aura until he had covered the Planetary Aurians they had fought up to this point, including himself.

"Mercury's Hot and Cold Drives, Saturn's Containment Drive, and Mars' Emotion Drive all fall under Tier 1." He said while pointing to the far left column.

"Saturn's only a Tier 1?" Kairi blurted in confusion.

"That doesn't make sense. She was doing crazy stuff like containing physical force in her aura." Mew added.

"Intelligence makes all the difference when it comes to a Drive. Even one who wields a Tier 4 Drive could lose to a Tier 1 Drive," From there Gabriel moved right back to the flow of the previous topic, "Jupiter's Extension Drive falls under Tier 2, Venus' Gas Drive a Tier 3..."

He then motioned to the last column and said, "And my Nature Drive is a Tier 4."

Kairi looked at the columns in greater detail and wondered, "What does my Beast Tamer Drive fall under?"

"Tier 3." Gabriel replied, gently etching the symbol of it under that column.

"Man though..." Mew smiled and looked a little dizzy thinking about all this, "That's gotta be like a million different powers at the LEAST."

"Not necessarily," Gabriel chuckled slightly, "There are plenty of duplicates amongst the first three Tiers. Its only Tiers 4 and 5 that are one of a kind due to how powerful they are."

"So if someone claims one of those Drives then future generations are just shit outta luck huh?"

"When an Aurian passes, the Drive's power is returned to its original state to be passed on to future generations." Gabriel answered right away.

"Huh, good to know," Mew replied with an honest nod of appreciation, "So just how many people own a Tier 5 Drive anyways?"

"Among the current generation of Aurians?" Gabriel put a hand on his chin and thought on it a bit, "To my knowledge, no one."

"No one," Mew frowned a little in suspicion and asked, "Not even Gravitus?"

His nonchalant mention of that was in contrast to Kairi freaking out slightly at the thought.

"No," Thankfully Gabriel alleviated these concerns a little, "He only has a Tier 4 Drive."

"Whew..." Kairi sighed out, but then bucked up and proclaimed, "I-It could be a Tier 6 Drive for all I care and I'd still kick his ass!"

"Well it must be pretty strong if Gravitus beat Gabriel," Mew remarked then got a goofy grin as he demanded of the samurai, "So spill it Big Green what's his power?"

Gabriel turned to him and dryly chuckled, "Does his name not give it away?"

Mew stared blankly at his face and shook his head. Kairi sneered and was happy to see Mew get taken down a peg. Gabriel's sigh was the icing on the cake.

"Kairi?" But then he turned to her for an answer and she froze up on the spot.

"_I-I don't have a clue!"_ She admitted to herself. Thus the egg was now on her face, and Gabriel's sigh peppered her with his shame.

"Gravity. He wields the Gravity Drive." The man answered for them.

Mew's eyes lit up with a cry of "OOOOhhh..." and after a little more thought he started laughing out loud, "Hahaha! His name is based on his power, what a loser!"

Kairi watched on, awe-struck at how easily he brushed aside everything he knew about the tyrant to treat him like a joke. It was infuriating. It left her steaming mad. She wanted to yell at him to take things seriously but knew by now it was a fool's errand. All that could be done was remind herself that this'll all be over soon.

"Still, gravity eh?" Mew's demeanor stiffened up and Kairi could've sworn he sounded a little serious, "That might be a tough one..."

He then snapped his fingers and remarked, "Ok! I think I'm all set now!"

Gabriel wiped the aura away with a swipe of the hand and said, "I believe you are. I am glad to have been of help."

There was one major thing Kaiir was still confused on though, "So how does this help with my training?"

"It doesn't!" Mew's careless words shocked her to the core, "I just wanted to educate myself!"

Kairi's eyes widened to their limit then narrowed into a furious glare. She tucked her fists down and yelled, "We wasted...how much time?!"

Mew staggered back and threw his hands up in front of his chest, "Do you want me to be an idiot or not? Make up your mind, sheesh!"

"I want you to make SENSE you, you..." Kairi squeezed her eyes shut and screamed, "BUTTFACE!"

That shut Mew up and all it took was Kairi feeling like a child afterwards. Her racing heart forced her to slow down and take a deep breath to calm herself. And that allowed Mew to open his dumb mouth once again.

"Why don't we get back to training then?" Was for once, something smart he suggested.

"Whatever," Kairr stared at her Drive and wondered, "So do you want me to activate it now or...?"

"Not yet," The two dreaded words, "There's something only you can answer."

"What?" Kairi growled with her head tossed back.

"Tell me how your Drive works. What are its limits, abilities, gimme the works."

"Ummm..." Kairi was briefly taken aback by how simple a request that was for someone like him. She looked down at her Drive some more and slowly got around to answering.

"With the Beast Tamer Drive I can summon different creatures out of aura. They got the innate abilities of regular animals only amplified slightly. Using my whip I can infuse the creatures with my aura to buff them up further."

Mew propped up a hand to his chin and blinked a few times. His strange way of staring agitated Kairi who swung her hand out then down while exclaiming, "What?! That's it!"

"Yeah yeah its a good baseline," Mew said while bobbing his head up and down, "But I need a little more outta ya."

Mew started by pointing one finger up and asking, "How many beasts can you summon at a time? Just one?"

"Ummm, yeah?" Kairi faintly shrugged her shoulders as her voice trailed off.

"What's up with that?" Mew bluntly wondered, which Kairi _kindly_ interpreted as him saying something's wrong with her.

Gabriel coughed at him and intervened on her behalf, "The Beast Tamer is a Summon Type Drive. That means, depending on the type of thing being summoned, there is an upper limit to how many things _can_ be summoned."

"And you're saying that Kairi's stuck at one?" Mew remarked.

"Its possible. There are a lot of dangerous beasts out there." Even Gabriel wasn't fully certain on that.

"Yeah, I'd definitely hate to fight one million poisonous spiders," Mew says in a joking manner, then cracked one eye open towards Kairi and asked, "Or would insects qualify as Beasts?"

"Of course not, they're filled under another genus genius." Kairi sputtered in annoyance.

"Ha. Genus. Genius," Mew laughed softly like some sort of frat boy, "Wordplay."

"Yooooou...!" Kairi swung up her right fist, pulled the sleeve back, and was ready to charge in.

"Ahem!" Gabriel kept them in line.

"...Hmph!" Kairi weakly drew her fist back and kept her eyes on Mew. After the heated air between them died down, Mew continued.

"So why do you only use lions, tigers and bears?" Mew asked, throwing in a timeless, hilarious whisper of "Oh my" and a chuckle devoid entirely of shame.

Kairi rolled her eyes at both the joke and his attitude while bluntly answering, "Cause how many things are going to stop a giant bear?"

"Me. Venus. Most of the other Planetary Aurians. Gravitus."

Upon Mew saying the bad name Kairi's eye lit up and she spat at his face, "Ok fine I get it! Stop rubbing it in!"

Mew sighed and rolled his hand around by his face, "I'm just saying you got a lot of versatility up your sleeve. Maybe try using a bit of it?"

He flashed a smile at the end. Kairi pouted and wanted to argue with Mew on principle...But she couldn't. A lot of anger welled up inside of her head but it refused to be let out. Cause though her clouded thoughts she saw herself getting beaten and taken down time after time again. Not just by Mew, Venus or Mars, but by other people throughout her life.

As children laughed and adults stared in disapproval from the past, Kairi squinted her eyes shut in the present to try and dispel them. Their echoes remained, taunting her with insults. The emotions swelled and felt set to burst out as a scream. What stopped her, however, was this cold, heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach. It rose up to her heart, then further up to calm the raging tempest inside her head. This wasn't sadness, it was helplessness.

"_I just want to be stronger than everyone else...Especially that bastard Gravitus...!" _Kairi bit her teeth and looked towards Mew.

Even after everything she's said he's stuck around and helped her out.

"_His mouth's a non-stop fountain of bullshit but..." _Kairi saw him smile just now and felt even more of her rage get pushed away. She hated this feeling, this sense of comfort that came from being around Mew. He had to still be up to something, she thought, _"Because no one is this selfless..."_

"Selfless". Kairi paused upon hearing that word in her head. Cause she didn't intend to think it, it just slipped out on its own. And from there her mind wandered on its own, remembering how its Mew's selflessness that taught her how to dodge, how to fly...

She closed her eyes and for a brief moment recalled the elation of having the wind grazing her body as she flew high over Sancturia, and the envy of those below her. It felt good. Really really good. Possibly even the happiest she had been for a few years now...

"Ok! Ok!" She suddenly blurted out as a unanimous agreement regarding Mew's suggestion. Her cheeks reddened and she looked away, muttering to him, "W-What are you suggesting...?"

Mew's eyes lit up and with a big grin he crossed his arms up to his chest and said, "I'm glad you asked!"

He then took a couple steps back to the edge of the mat and told her, "We're going to recreate our first encounter!"

Kairi stared at him with a dull-eyed glare and murmured dryly, "You are not to get within twenty feet of my mother ever again."

Mew raised his brows then cheekily replied, "Ok fine. Our _second _encounter."

He snapped his right hand up by his face and Kairi suddenly felt a bit of heat tickling the back of her neck. She turned around and saw a familiar fireball floating in the air.

Mew crossed his arms and told her, "Your job is to come up with an animal that can disarm traps before you hit them!"

"Couldn't I just swing my staff?" Kairi asked while summoning it lazily in her right hand.

Mew shook his head and hand and reminded her, "Think of it in terms of our battle. Right now you're flying backwards because I kicked your staff. So you're stunned and can't really react in time with your weapon."

"Hrrmm..." Kairi turned her back to the fireball and closed her eyes. She rushed through her memories like flipping the pages of a large book, and stopped on a document of a small, winged creature.

She concentrated on her aura and the fireball at the same time, projecting the creature's form outward and manifesting an eagle to the side of the fireball. It swooped down from the air with a screech and pierced the fireball with its beak, thus setting it off without Kairi getting an ember on her clothes.

Kairi swung her head back and whispered "I-It worked?" as if she didn't think it'd go through. She then looked up at the ceiling and saw her little eagle hovering in place, screeching with the pride of its feathered flock on its shoulders before it vanished at her command.

Mew clapped his hands and started moving to the left side of the mat. Gabriel got out of his way and Mew gestured Kairi towards the opposite side of the mat. She slowly made her way over, trying her hardest not to smile.

"Now I want you to summon your tiger." He asked and she complied on the spot, looking rather confused all the while.

"What now?" She said while exchanging glances with her pet beast.

Mew closed his eyes and remarked, "Its sometimes hard to stop your cat from getting drenched in public. So what we're going to test here is your ability to shift animals on the fly."

Mew whipped his hand around in circles a few times to summon a ring of water with a malleable form. He then held his palm up to it and remarked, "I'll be aiming for the beast's head. No tricks here. All you've got to do is send your tiger at me and change it into something that can get by unharmed."

"Aaaand...GO!" Mew tossed the water out and Kairi hastily sent her tiger running along. She closed her eyes and had to think even faster than before.

"_Something small, something fast...!" _What more reliable ally could there be but the long-eared lucky-footed rabbit? At the will of Kairi's thoughts the tiger's ferocious frame morphed into a diminutive bunny rabbit. There its fleet feet let it hop past Mew's water untouched and for good measure, hop up and kick him in the gut.

Mew coughed up a little air and the rabbit hopped in front of him playfully. Kairi giggled so softly she thought Mew wouldn't hear it, but despite all logic he did and chuckled back.

"Alright alright, you're doing fine so far..." After Mew brushed off the pain in his gut the rabbit was sent off on its merry way.

Mew then cricked his neck around and remarked, "But now comes the true test of your skills."

Mew summoned his sword, held it up firmly before his body, and peered out around the edge to say, "Summon your bear and hit me with your best shot."

"Huh?" Kairi widened her eyes for a moment but then shrugged and summoned the bear beside her. It stood on its hind legs and growled.

Kairi decided to whip it a couple times to increase its size, but had to stop because of the limited space. She then had it charge forth and slam its beefy claw against the dull side of Mew's blade. Mew held it off with ease and made this whole exercise seemed rather fruitless to Kairi.

She puckered her lips and stared at the clash of strengths until Mew suddenly said, "Think about what you've learned so far! You can do it!"

He cheered her on without a hint of sarcasm. Kairi perked up and closed her eyes, looking deep within herself for the answer Mew wanted her to reach.

"_He's holding off my attack...What...what did he tell me to do?" _She flashed back to yesterday and vaguely recalled him talking about "balancing one's defenses".

"_So he's focusing all his strength into his arms. That means I need to attack his legs!" _She opened her eyes and only now realized his sword covered the front of his body.

"_He's only vulnerable from behind...But Ursa Maimer is unable to reach there." _So she thought on it a little deeper and wondered if what Mew said was true.

"_C-Could I be able to summon two beasts? I...I never tried it before..." _Doubts plagued her gut for a couple moments but then she firmly held her whip and felt a fire light up in her heart, _"But...now's a better time than any!"_

She concentrated her focus away from the bear and on the space behind Mew. The connection with her bear tampered with her ability to split her focus onto a new beast. She felt the physical pull between the two creatures tug away at her mind with great pressure.

It was like her mind was on fire. She prevailed through on sheer force of will, until the creature of her design came to be.

"Baaaa!" Mew froze up at the sound of this high-pitched bleat and turned his head back. A small goat reared its mighty horns at him and charged forth, striking the back of his legs.

Mew was knocked off his feet and sent flying over the proud herbivore with a look of utter shock on his face. Then without the strength of his stance keeping him steady, the bear pressed down on its claws and pinned Mew onto his back.

The force of impact dislodged the sword from his hand and the bear standing victorious over him with a roar. Kairi's heart started racing against her chest and she let out a quick, huge gasp. She then shook her head, dispelled the bear, and ran right up to Mew.

Before he could raise his head she planted the tip of her staff under his chin. She was shaking as she smiled and declared, "Got you!"

Mew threw up his arms in surrender and chuckled, "Alright, you got me..."

He then suddenly swept his right leg towards Kairi's feet but she jumped over them and landed closer to his waist. She pressed the staff up harder and deepened her grin with a chuckle. Mew then dryly laughed and murmured, "Ok, this time for real..."

"Uh-huh..." Kairi lifted her staff up and allowed Mew to stand. Kairi couldn't stop herself from smiling. Her heart was about ready to burst, and for once her cheeks were bright red with joy instead of embarrassment.

"Hehehe!" She giggled in a rather high-pitched tone.

"Good job!" Mew declared, not feeling the least bit emasculated by being put under the staff, "I knew you could do it!"

Kairi's elation ended on that compliment. She dispelled her staff, turned away, and her cheeks' shade returned to pink. She crossed her arms under her chest and declared, "I-I knew I would! Obviously!"

"Well lets not stop there. We've got a lot of light to burn, so lets see what else we can get outta that 'A' brain of yours!" Mew enthusiastically clapped his hands a few times and pushed Kairi towards working throughout the rest of the day with Gabriel's help.

Time passed so fast that when Auris hollered out for dinner Kairi almost mistook it for a lunch call. The training didn't leave her AS tired as it did yesterday but she still had to take her time heading to the kitchen.

Tonight Auris served up a heaping bowl of spaghetti and meatballs with a side helping of sourdough bread painted with garlic butter. The noodles were thin and the sauce looked absolutely packed with flavors and spices.

After everyone had dished up they got around to eating. Things remained relatively quiet until, shock of shocks, Mew opened his mouth.

"You know..."

Kairi closed her eyes with food in her mouth, groaning that she didn't intercept his blabbermouth prematurely.

He turned to Auris and gently rested his fork beside his plate. He then planted his hands together and bowed his head slightly, his voice soft and almost...respectable?

"I haven't thanked you enough for letting me eat dinner with you guys. This kind of feeling of togetherness...isn't exactly something I have back home."

Mew's voice got a little somber at the end. A play for pity, perhaps? Yet despite that rather rash thought Kairi took the bait dangling from his words and asked, "What? You don't get along with your parents?"

Mew paused for a moment then looked straight at Kairi across the table and said in his casual tone of voice, "Only if corpses can talk behind your back."

Kairi clamped down a bite of her steaming hot spaghetti and reactively swallowed it down. She pounded her chest a couple times and started coughing to help the food digest. Then when that little embarrassing show ended Kairi slowly breathed in and out and looked up Mew. Despite the gravity of what he said he just looked like his normal self, smiling along without a care.

"Your parents are...dead?" She gasped, a strange feeling welling up in her chest.

"Yep!" Mew blurted, "Ever since I was five I want to say?"

"..." Kairi closed her eyes and that feeling extended to her gut as well. It twisted her up on the inside and made her ask, "And...you live on your own?"

"Pretty much!" Mew cheerfully replied, adding a joke to the mix, "On the bright side, it really cuts back on the water bill!"

"_How...how can he say that? Not having any parents would be..." _

"But enough about that!" Mew suddenly broke Kairi's melancholy by saying, "Since you seem to be in a talkative mood tonight I hope you don't mind me asking something."

Kairi looked around and say that Auris and Gabriel had no reaction to what Mew had said. She was the only one sitting around thinking, _"Am the only one who thinks this is crazy?!"_

Nevertheless she mustered up the courage to respond, "W-What do you want?"

"I notice you seem to be very interested in Earth stuff," When Kairi tilted her head Mew pieced together his evidence out loud, "You use a lot of Earth beasts with your Drive, you're like one of the few people who wears normal everyday Earth clothes, and with your grades and the kind of education you receive you must really be into our culture."

Mew cracked a grin and wondered aloud, "You planning to live down there when you turn twenty?"

It was a little too big of a question for her to handle right now, especially after how he handled talking about his parents' death. Kairi's head felt woozy and she found herself pushing away from the table. Her meal was half-eaten but she was too sick in her stomach to down another bite.

"I-I'm sorry I...I have to go!" Kairi's body moved autonomously towards the stairs. She ran up to her unlit room and threw herself face first onto the bed. There she lied for the next hour feeling discomfort in her gut.

She remained motionless, her body becoming stiff and sore all around. Even her soft bed couldn't make her feel any better. A sudden knock on the door took her by surprise and she barely tilted her head back.

"Hey, you alright?" It was Mew's voice.

Kairi's face twisted up in anger as Mew tried to think he could make amends for what he's done, "I...think I screwed up again. So I just want to say-"

"GO AWAY!" Kairi pulled her head band off her neck and tossed it straight at the cloth door. It missed the mark, landing at the foot of the door. She sat up on the edge of her bed, her heart racing until she realized what she had done.

She stared at her headband and as her heart retreated into the pit of her stomach she dropped to the floor on her knees and scrambled over to pick the headband up. She cupped it up under her chest and started to wheeze.

"...I'm sorry," Mew finished, sounding a little disheartened, "But I hope to see you in the morning. So...good night?"

His footsteps trailed off down the stairs, leaving Kairi alone. She picked herself up and dragged her concrete legs back to the bed, where she sat down and laid on her back. She held the headband in front of her face. The dim lighting made it harder to see the reflection, but she could still make out that it had blonde hair.

But slowly, the smile that reflection had was being overtaken by Mew's smile. Kairi squeezed the headband under her chest and let out a pale whimper to her lonesome self. She stuttered and stammered as her body felt cold and hollow.

"I-It feels like I'm losing you...P-Please...Don't vanish from my heart..." Kairi closed her eyes shut and whispered in the darkness of solitude, "Shina..."

_Meanwhile, in an unknown quarter of Sancturia..._

A rectangular metal box rises out of the ground, hissing out the pressure surrounding it. The front parts like its made of liquid metal and Saturn steps out with her arms stretched up and her lab coat covered in oil and metal dust.

"Woo hoo! Baby girl gave me some trouble, but once again the great heroine Saturn has triumphed over the evils of rust and energy deficiency!" In celebration, Saturn took off her lab coat and hung it over her right shoulder. The cold night air tickled her skin and rewarded her for her exhausting work.

"Patting yourself on the back I see..." A sardonic voice taunted Saturn from behind. She spun around on one foot and saw someone with pointed ears and pale gray skin standing in the shadows of the elevator.

"Even though you have failed Gravitus spectacularly." The person clung to the shadows like it felt right at home for him.

Saturn smirked and with a flick of the wrist addressed him in a mockery of a medieval accent, "Art thou to be my chaperone, ne'er-do-well?"

"Charming as always," The man replied, "But it shall do you no good here."

Saturn hung her head slightly, rolled her eyes, and whipped her hand around whilst asking, "Whaddya want Pluto?"

"I expected failure from the dog and the rabble surrounding him, but you?" The man scoffed and venomously spat in Saturn's face, "I expected _better_."

"What can I say! The better fighter won this time!" Saturn proclaimed, "But I'll beat him on round two, just you wait and see!"

"...You don't get it do you?" Pluto leered his eyes at the girl, the dim moonlight revealing a pair of dirty yellow irises, "Gravitus is on the cusp of fulfilling his lifelong dreams. Soon, the Neo Drive shall be delivered to its long-desired master, and with it...Gravitus shall become unstoppable."

Saturn crossed her arms and rocked the skies of Sancturia with her laughter, "Hahaha! Gravitus has been trying to get the Neo Drive for two-thousand years! I've tossed every bit of my scientific know-how at that thing and there's not a single way he can wield it!"

"...Its true what they say. Justice **is **blind." Pluto closed his eyes and turned away from the haughty little girl in scorn.

"You'll soon find out how wrong you are..." He whispered.

Saturn narrowly squinted her eyes and pushed her fists up to her hips, wiggling them around to make them act as levers to lean her body down.

"What do you know that I don't?" She inquired.

"More than you and the seven other fools would care to admit," Pluto pulled himself off the elevator and turned his back to the girl, "But by the time you know the truth, it shall already be too late."

"Hahaha!" Saturn boisterously laughed, "Sit on your empty throne of lies all you want Disgraced King! For soon your crinkly butt shall occupy a seat of steel...In jail!"

"Heh..." Pluto creased his withered lips into a nasty smile and twisted his head back to retort, "We shall see who will triumph shortly. That whelp's pathetic justice...Or my vengeance upon this God scorned wretch of a rock..."

"Underestimate the Elemental Overlord and you'll pay with your life Pluto." Saturn warned.

"Ha! I fear no shadow from the past," Pluto waved his right hand out and remarked, "Regardless of the performance of those two fools before me that peasant boy shall meet his end upon the tip of my blades. After all...Lord Gravitus is but two days away."

Saturn's glasses nearly slanted off her nose as she remarked, "He's coming back early?"

"Of course...The prize he's sought is at last within his grasp. His long labors of 2,000 years...At long last, the Neo Drive shall be his." Pluto slithered away into the shadows, leaving Saturn to snap back with one last biting comment.

"You're lucky you're useful!" And then she had all the time in the world to muse to herself.

"Hmm..." She propped her head up and nudged her glasses back into place, the lens' fogging up as she snickered out, "Things are about to get reeeeeeeally interesting."

_Next Time: The Fairy Tale Princess _


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Winter Wonderland**

_The next morning..._

Kairi wobbled to the top of the stairs with her eyes partway open. She holds onto the rail and slowly made her way down. She groaned as her feet dragged her to the bottom, her energy for the day already spent.

When she arrived in the living room her eyes turned to the couch all on their own, only to find it vacant. She then glanced up at the clock. It was a quarter past 9.

"_He already left without me..." _She wasn't too surprised he'd done this twice already. Rather, she was almost disappointed.

"_Its because of how I behaved last night..." _She had spent a couple tireless hours pondering why she felt sick to her stomach, then the rest of the night troubled by that inescapable feeling. Her answer? Undetermined.

With nothing better to do but wait for Mew to return from another frolic in the Pyramid she headed into the kitchen to eat. Her stomach was complaining out of hunger now. Upon slipping past the door frame she heard a fork drop on a plate and grumbled "Morning" to her mom.

"Morning sleepyhead!" But it wasn't her voice that replied.

Kairi looked up and saw Mew at the table with a few bits of scrambled eggs on his plate. He smiled like usual and struck up a conversation ignoring everything that happened last night, "Your mom makes some really good eggs!"

Kairi stared at him from afar and didn't budge until her mother came into view with a fresh plate of eggs set at her seat. Auris smiled and winked then returned to the stove to clean-up.

Kairi wandered over to her chair and sat down. She picked up her fork and started eating. The whole time she looked at Mew, which he didn't reciprocate at first. When he did it was joined by a sudden blurt of, "So I was thinking...!"

It spooked Kairi senseless and she dropped her fork onto the plate. This stilled Mew until she picked it up. Then he pointed his fork at her and leaned down on his elbows, twirling the utensil by his head.

"Today, you're going to take another crack at a Planetary Aurian." That took her by surprising for a variety of reasons.

All she could say was, "Already? After two days of training?"

Mew nodded his head. Kairi should have been happy to have his approval, and maybe yesterday she would have. But after seeing so many sides of Mew and failing to understand any of them she didn't know how to react.

"Yeah, I think you're ready!" But he did. He always did. And if he thinks she's ready then well, Kairi could only feel inclined to believe him. But for good measure she turned to her mother.

"Mom?" Her worried tone told Auris enough. She tilted her head back and said, "I think your teacher knows best honey."

That was all the confirmation she needed. Mew perked up and exclaimed "Perfect!" then sprinkled in a little reassurance into the mix, "And hey if I'm wrong I'll be right there to provide back-up!"

It was a pretty straight forward win-win proposition for him to make. Kairi answered with a nod and silently picked away at her meal. A part of her wanted to try and bring up last night but didn't know how to. Then it hit her hard.

"_W-Wait what am I thinking?" _She shook her head, a bit of food and waking up getting her mind back in order, _"Its not like I actually CARE what he thinks..." _

But there was a somewhat melancholic anecdote to her thoughts this time, and it lingered until they headed out of the house. There they found Gabriel keeping guard as he does. Mew turned and cracked a joke.

"Do you ever eat breakfast?"

Gabriel opened his eyes and replied, "I'm always up at the crack of dawn, so my mealtime is earlier than yours."

"Heh, you really are into that whole samurai motif ain'tcha?"

Gabriel didn't dignify that with a response, and inquired to their intentions, "Back to the Pyramid again I see?"

"Yep! Just gotta clear out what? Three more floors in four days? Easy!"

"Just be careful," Gabriel's voiced deepened, "The last three Planetary Aurians are the most dangerous of them all."

"_Oh god, and considering what Jupiter and Saturn could do..." _Kairi felt a mild bout of panic while Mew was excited as always.

"Ha! Danger is my middle name!" He boasted.

"I could almost believe that..." Kairi let out with none of her usual spunk. Then after she sighed the two of them headed for the eighth of the Pyramid.

There, Kairi was greeted by hundreds of soft cold flakes of white falling from the ceiling. She held her hands out and the flakes melted in her palms.

"Is this...snow?" Her eyes dimly lit up as the cold air left her skin covered in goosebumps. Mew waltzed into the room with arms crossed and smile bright. Kairi gleamed at him and thought, "Is this your doing?"

"I wish I could take credit," Mew chuckled, "But this just seems to be the floor's theme."

Kairi looked around the room and saw candy canes, towering ice cream cones, and gum drop cushions. It was like a scene from a fairy tale. It was nice to look at. Now if only she could get rid of the background noise...

"Didn't we already fight someone who used the cold?" Mew blurted out while tapping the side of his head in thought.

"Yeah? Kairi replied, mildly curious to know what he was getting at.

"Hmmm..." But he left her hanging as he made his way to the portal. Kairi rolled her eyes and followed him through to the seventh planet from the Sun – the icy...Uranus?

"H-Huh?" Kairi staggered back upon seeing this new land. Outstretched for miles to the mountains and beyond the surface of Uranus was covered in a cold material similar to snow. Most of it was white, but there was some brown, pink, orange and yellow mixed in as well. In the distance lied a forest of peppermint candy trees and gumdrop fruits.

A lake of chocolate syrup was next to it, surrounded by a bed of rainbow colored candy pieces. Seeing all these sweets drew Kairi's gaze back to the ground. She cautiously bent down and scooped some of it into her hand then gave it a lick. It was creamy. It was sweet. It was...

"Ice cream?!" She dropped the scoop to the ground and turned to find Mew gobbling down the ice cream like a vacuum cleaner. Clearly the concept of brain freeze didn't apply to him.

"Mmm...Sho ghood!" He said with his cheeks positively stuffed and glowing, his hand and knees down like a pig at the trough. Kairi scowled in revile of his behavior, and was fortunate that it didn't last long. He stood right up and wiped the dribble off with his arm.

"...I never want ice cream again." Kairi grumbled, feeling nausea in her gut. Mew spun back to her and planted his fists on his hips as a statement of pride.

"Boy, do I wish I had a waffle cone right about now!" He then put his hand above his forehead and pivoted around like a telescope, "Now where's the Planetary Aurian? I wanna thank 'em for dessert!"

"How do you know they did it?" Kairi grabbed the side of her head and looked down with a somewhat maddened look in her eye, "For all we know the planet was always like this!"

Mew laughed. She knew he thought she was crazy. When he thus smiled at her she was shocked to hear him say, "Glad to see you using your imagination, but no..."

He turned his back to her and raised his arms up to the sides of his head, "I can sense the planet's surface under this decadent double-layered dessert."

Kairi looked towards the ground and nudged her shoe along the surface. Even with Mew's confirmation she still felt like this was too crazy to be real.

"Who'd cover a whole planet in...ice cream?"

"Probably a child," Mew stated casually as he tossed his pointer finger northbound, "Like the one coming our way, perhaps?"

Kairi swung her head up and saw a little girl frolicking through the metropolitan meadow. Her skin was white as snow with a dull purple tint in her cheeks. Her small body wrapped up in a delightful blue robe with a snowflake pattern. Her feet stayed warm via a pair of snowshoe boots, and her head was bundled up under a woolly snowcap. Her violet-blue hair was twisted up into a pair of braids down to her waist, and her eyes were nice and green. She danced around with a magic staff dangling from her right hand, its jeweled top reminiscent of a vanilla ice cream swirl in shape and color.

"_Another little girl?" _The dainty sight of the girl's dance left Kairi distraught. Given prior encounters this wintery bundle of joy was no doubt the Planetary Aurian she'd have to fight.

After the girl finished twirling towards them like a ballerina on one foot she stumbled to stand upright and almost dropped her staff. She hugged the staff up to her chest and jiggled her body around in tune to a jingle she was humming.

Kairi's expression went taut and her cheeks turned rosy red. _"She's cute," _She thought with woe and worry, _"But so was Venus..."_

The little girl suddenly stopped dancing and stared between her two guests. She grabbed her staff in both hands and centered it before her body.

"It seems we have some company. Their numbers not too many." The girl spoke in the language of rhyme with a rhythm as soothing as a lullaby. From her tone of voice she was probably only ten years old.

Mew swung his hand up and blurted, "Hi there! My name's Mew, and you are?"

The girl turned her staff towards her left shoulder and hummed some more. Mew was left hanging his hand up and staring blankly at the girl. So he turned to Kairi and whispered, "Maybe she wants you to introduce yourself?"

"Whuh?" Kairi didn't think that was a bad idea perse, but she wasn't sure HOW to introduce herself.

"U-Umm..." She looked the girl in the eyes and swung her head right down, throwing her cap off as she started an introduction.

"My name is-" When she saw her cap fall she paused to pick it up and put it back on. But when she tried again the girl raised her staff in one hand and twirled on one foot.

"Come and play! Play play play! Play away all night and day!" The girl's overly cheery tone made Kairi's heart tingle with warmth.

"Awww..." She murmured aloud, prompting Mew to chuckle. She turned beet red and looked right at him. He pressed his fingers up to a sneer and gave her some grief.

"If the snow angel's too cute for ya I can fight her instead!"

"S-Shut up!" Kairi picked up some ice cream and lobbed it at Mew's face. He happily took the hit just so he could lick it up. Kairi didn't care, she looked right back at the girl and left out a huff.

The girl, obviously identified as Uranus, kept dancing. Kairi looked at her and couldn't feel a single violent bone in her body.

"_I don't want to fight her..." _However, Kairi remembered that she thought the same thing with Venus, and after one conga line of humiliating memories her decision became a lot more clear. She closed her eyes, took a deep deep breath, and relaxed.

"_But I have to." _She opened her eyes with a fire lit under her feet and raised her hands up, summoning her staff in their grasp. She gently pointed it at Uranus and wiggled it around.

"Sure, I'll play with you." She said without hesitation.

"Are you sure?" Mew asked, an obvious test of Kairi's resolve.

Kairi looked down at her staff then up at Uranus. It was hard to separate the sweet little girl from the fighter hiding underneath.

"_I underestimated Venus and Mars and they beat me...I hated it when Mew underestimated me like so many others have and yet I did the same thing to others...I can't do that anymore."_

She turned to Mew with embers in her eyes and told him, "Positive."

She raised her staff a little higher and stated, "I'll show you that I can fend for myself now."

"Alrighty then!" Mew proclaimed as he backed away slowly, "She's all yours!"

Uranus spun her way back and let out a "Yay!" as she raised her staff high above her head.

"_What is she going to do with that?" _Kairi kept a close eye on it as the gem on top glowed light green.

"For fun and games we pull out all the stops! So meet my friends made out of gum drops!" The magic from her staff sprinkled the ice cream snow with sparkles.

Then from out of the ground rose two eight foot high golems made entirely out of different size gum drops. Green ones comprised the body, black ones outlined the eyes and pupils, and white ones behaved as teeth. They were bouncy even as they stood and looked really out-of-place next to their little master.

"Candy...Constructs?" Kairi was surprised briefly then just assumed this was her Drive. She raised her staff ready to charge in, then pulled it back down and shook her head.

"_Wait for her to make the first move..." _She told herself a few times over as Uranus made her golems listen to her whims.

"Belly flop belly flop! Get 'em get 'em gum drop!"

The golems nodded then the leftmost one sprung twenty feet up in an instant. It poised its bloated belly in Kairi's direction and dropped right down. She leaped to the right in the nick of time and was surprised at how fast it fell.

Which made it imperative to keep moving, as the other one jumped right in after its buddy. Kairi backflipped and felt her skip a beat as the golem grazed her head. The first golem bounced on over to where she'd land. There was no time to jump so Kairi just glided a few feet back out of the way.

"Hoh!" Kairi blurted as her body moved so fast on its own that she felt like a bolt of lightning.

Then, she saw her chance to strike and charged into the fallen golem. She struck it with an upward swing of her staff and it went flying off over its companion. It would go bouncing away for a while, leaving Kairi the space to handle the other.

"My friend is giving his all! Bouncing away like a bouncy ball!"

Uranus danced and cheered and drew in Kairi's gaze. But she turned back around and hopped back as the second golem came down. The golem started bouncing up and down faster, and Kairi struggled to keep ahead of it.

"Gotta take this to the skies!" Kairi kicked off the ground and flew thirty feet up where the golem's bounce wouldn't reach. She then turned to Uranus and, though it was still hard to accept this fight, decided to dive at her.

But a shadow covered her from above, and the second golem got the drop on her. It sent her to the ground and bounced on top of her a few times. It was surprisingly heavy, and kept pushing Kairi's face into the ice cream when she tried to lift it.

"_Why. Didn't. He. Tell me. How to. Fight. Multiple...OPPONENTS?!" _Kairi struggled to get her thoughts straightened out with that golem treating her like a trampoline. She growled and punched the ground but then closed her eyes and told herself, "Fooocus..."

She spun her situation in a more positive light and quickly whipped up a plan. She propped her staff up under the golem's belly and its thick, gummy flesh slowly impaled itself on it. Kairi breathed out in relief and used the free space to stand.

She then lifted the golem over her head and swung it down. By putting aura around the staff the momentum of her swing split the golem in half.

Uranus slowed her dance and closed her eyes partway, her voice losing a bit of that pep she had, "I guess his heart wasn't in it...He got tired, he quit, he had to split!"

Kairi turned to her and readied her staff for an attack. But then she heard something coming, and it was coming in fast. She turned left and saw the first golem bouncing back. With a few more leaps it'd bowl her over.

"_One at a time..." _She felt was the best way to handle Uranus and her minions. She didn't back away from the oncoming threat and instead dug her feet into the ground, a feat made difficult by its creamy composition.

"_Put your strength into your legs..." _She stiffened her stance, gripped her staff a little tighter, and watched as the golem performed its last bounce to reach her.

"_And expose their weakness!" _She widened her eyes, swung her staff up diagonally, and cleaved into the golem so hard it stopped in place. From there her body moved on its own, reversing the way her hands were positioned on the staff so she could swing again in the opposite direction. She kept this up and without even realizing it watched as her staff became a blur.

She never lost ground even as she swung with all her might, chopping up the golem and spreading its bits and pieces all over. When she finished up she lowered her staff down in one hand and caught her breath.

"_I-I'm not used to fighting like that! Whew...!" _She was a little roughed up but had a bright-eyed smile the whole time. She then shook her head and turned to Uranus.

The little girl was silent and motionless as Kairi ran in and thrust her staff into her chest. Gently, mind you. She wasn't about to permanently cripple a girl about half her age.

Uranus was bowled over onto her back, picking up bits of ice cream dust on her clothes. Kairi stayed back, swung her staff up close to her hip and thought, _"That...can't be it can it?"_

She was right on the money. Quicker than she blinked Uranus swung her head up and started rubbing it like she had a boo-boo. Kairi eased up a little and raised her head to ask, "Are you ok?"

Uranus opened her eyes and half her lips twisted into a glaring scowl while her left pupil shrank down to the size of a pin. This sudden shift in attitude caught Kairi by surprise and left her vulnerable to the little girl's sudden outburst of, "You JERK!"

Her voice sounded like nails on chalkboard, a tone way too deep and scratchy for one so young. Yet just as quickly as the girl's inner malice sprouted it quickly dug itself back in and she stood up with a big old smile.

She danced in place and waved her staff back and forth in both hands, claiming in her chipper, rhyming tone that, "You're very naughty naughty. You demonness with the curvy body..."

Her tone may have corrected itself but her choice of words were certainly more vile. And with a flick of the wrist and raise of the staff, Uranus set about to summon even more constructs to her aid.

Kairi stood back looking a little dumbfounded by the sudden outburst on display. She then grumbled bitterly under her breath for letting Uranus get away with using more of her magic.

"_Ugh fine, a few more gum drop golems...I can handle that." _She said with confidence.

But what rolled up to the battlefield weren't more gum drops or anything sweet and gummy like that. From atop the nearby mountains a pair of giant ice cream snowballs rolled down to the chocolate syrup lake and coated themselves in a thick layer of the liquid-y goodness. From there any excess ice cream pushed outward from the body to create stubby legs and life-like arms, topping themselves off with a domed head as they stood upright next to Uranus.

Candied raisins pushed through their faces to act as their eyes, and with a dollop of magic from her wand Uranus gave them each a long, candy corn nose. Kairi slacked her jaw at these new creations. They lacked a lot of the cutesy charm the gum drop golems had, and seemed like a patchwork job.

"_Can't let my guard down though..." _Kairi raised her staff to the pudgy snowmen and listened as Uranus gave them her orders.

"Play with her to your heart's content! Claw her and ream her until her body's spent!"

**Vs. The Dessert Demonness: Aurian Uranus**

"...What?" Kairi closed her eyes in a half-amused fashion until the snowmen stirred to life with a jolly guffaw. Each one leaned down and the bottom of their heads pulled up, revealing a nasty set of candy corn fangs. They then swung their arms down and sharp peppermint cane claws shot out of their stubby hands.

"_Holy crap!" _Her eyes were then wide open from there on out as the snowmen came lumbering at her with the intent to harm. The right one closed in first and shoved its brother aside amidst raising its claw to strike.

Kairi jumped back out of the way and held her staff up front just to be safe. The other snowman pushed its brother over onto its side and wildly flailed its claws Kairi's way.

She knew this wasn't the time to find out how sharp peppermint feels on the skin. So she closed her eyes to concentrate and get a feel for the snowman's movements, then used her staff to deflect its claw swipes before they could get too close.

She pushed her staff between her hands but kept the grip tight, allowing her to fend off the snowman's vicious assault while putting distance between them. This would help immensely once the other snowman got up and ran in to attack.

Kairi diverted her attention to the right for a moment and kicked herself up off the ground to fly away. The snowman that first attacked her now shredded apart its comrades' right arm, an act that swiftly turned the two against each other.

With its remaining arm the snowman impaled its comrade through his chocolate-y shell and let out a disturbingly innocent guffaw. The other snowman retaliated by impaling them through the same spot and letting out the exact same noise.

Kairi hovered on by, a silent spectator in this bizarre freakshow of a battle, and thought to herself, _"What the heck is going on here?"_

Whatever the answer was could wait. When she saw Uranus was wide-open she smirked and pointed her staff down at the little girl. She was too busy reprimanding her creations to seem to notice where she was.

"Quit fighting quit fighting! Lest the witch come falling like lightning!"

"And strikes like thunder!" Kairi yelled that out thinking it was a good comeback. It wasn't. But its the intent that counts.

Uranus puckered her lips and looked gobsmacked by Kairi diving down on the warpath towards her. But she need not worry, for before she got too close one of Uranus' snowman broke away from the mutual mutilation of his comrade to snag Kairi out of the air by her right leg.

Kairi's eyes widened and she turned back amid plummeting to the ground. She grabbed her staff and took a quick swing at the snowman's claws. She shattered them with a well-placed strike but momentum still dragged her to the ground.

She closed her eyes and focused her energy out of her back, creating a cushion to soften her fall. She bounced right off it and landed on her feet close to the snowmen. One was disarmed and the other declawed, but that didn't make them any less dangerous or feral.

They looked at each other and then nodded their heads. The declawed snowman turned around, rammed its bare arm through the empty socket of the dearmed snowman, then twisted its head around so they were both staring right at Kairi.

It was disturbing for sure but also very stupid. Kairi snickered and told herself, _"How are they supposed to hit me now?"_

The answer, as it turns out, would be that they wouldn't. In their desperate bid to remain in the fight the two snowmen swung their claws at Kairi in futility. Their combined form was so wide and their arms so small that Kairi could just stand between them and they'd never reach her.

She even put her staff behind her back and poked it out slightly to tickle the snowman's claws. But then with a slight jolt to her heart she recognized this wasn't the time to play around and shook her head.

"_Take them down, then go after Uranus...Come on, don't screw it up! Don't screw it up!" _The pressure of proving her worth distracted her train of thought away from finding the snowman's weakness, even though it was so obvious a baby could point it out.

Kairi stared at the holes the snowmen impaled into each other and knew she could finish this up fast if she put her mind to it. First things first she touched her Beast Tamer Drive to change her staff into a whip. She didn't intend to summon an animal. She just needed the weapon form momentarily.

She whipped the centermost legs of this mismatched snowman and the end legs couldn't suffice in keeping them balanced. They wobbled their way onto their backs and couldn't budge no matter how much they flailed. Kairi then deactivated the Beast Tamer Drive to return to her staff and leaped above the right snowman. She closed her eyes and dove right in, plunging the staff through the wound in its chest.

"_I hope this works..." _She prayed as she bit her teeth down and braced herself. She used the theory behind what Mew said regarding flight to push her energy out from the right side of her legs and spin around and around in place.

The ice cream surface really helped get the momentum going to push the snowmen around as well, with the staff acting as the center piece of this little experiment. After a while of this the speed of the rotation ripped the armless snowman off and sent it sliding straight for the chocolate syrup lake.

"_I-I think I'm going to be sick..." _Kairi hung out just that little bit longer so she could line up the other snowman like an eight ball going to the corner pocket. She had to trust in her senses that what she was doing was right, and when she finally pulled her staff out of the snowman it went hurtling for the lake in a completely straight line.

Both snowmen were slowly dragged to an unceremonious demise. The last moment of their fleeting existence, to try and claw their way out of the surface, went completely unnoticed by the one who sent them there.

Uranus once again froze up and her breathing hastened at a dire pace. Kairi wasn't about to let her get another shot in at summoning and charged forward, swinging her staff back as far as her arms would carry her.

"I'll finish this now!" She exclaimed as the final swing was swung.

"G-Go away!" Uranus screamed her little heart out and threw her arms down. Her body exploded with a haunting blue aura as thin and cloudy as fog and Kairi sensed danger on an unprecedented scale.

She forced her feet to the ground and pulled her staff back. Even just by grazing the girl's aura Kairi found her the end of her staff consumed in a deadly frost. The aura lashed out and forced Kairi away. This was, without a doubt, Uranus' true Drive ability.

"_She froze part of my staff in an instant...I-If my hands had been any closer..." _Kairi didn't want to think about it. She shook it off and watched as Uranus' aura comfortably stabilized just around the edge of her body. She was smiling, but that smile locked away a deadly secret.

Kairi smashed her staff against the ground to break the ice off then pointed it at Uranus. Her hands her shaking and her legs didn't want to move. And the little girl continued to hum and dance like everything was all fine and dandy.

"You think you're clever? You claim yourself my keeper? Catch me if you can when you're faced with the gingerbread reaper!" Uranus' staff turned a slight shade of black as she pointed it back towards the peppermint forest.

A chill unrelated to the atmosphere covered the ice cream lands as fog rose up from the forest, joined by a creeping shadow. The fog spread to their location and the shadow galloped out at lightning speeds.

Kairi braced herself as this new culinary concoction came to a sudden stop and kicked up a plume of ice cream dust. An echoing neigh parted the fog to reveal a nightmarish mare whose bare flesh was stitched together out of black licorice ropes. Its rider was cloaked in dark brown fruit tape and held on to its horse via a rope pieced together by hard ringed candies. The rider turned its shadow draped face towards Kairi and swung it right hand out, a scythe with a sharp peppermint blade sliding out of its sleeve and into the grip of its frosted gingerbread hand.

The reaper pushed the limits of what could be done with candy. In spite of its sickeningly sweet ingredients this creature was a recipe for disaster. Kairi knew that there was no time to play around with this one.

"_I need some back-up, pronto!" _She swiftly pushed down on her Beast Tamer Drive and jumped back as the reaper took a swing at her neck.

"Eek!" She screeched as the blade missed by an inch. She unfurled her whip and thought about the beast that'd be best suited for this fight.

"_I could try horse versus horse..." _She jumped out of the way of a couple more swings as the horse galloped towards her, throwing up icy dust to get in her eyes.

"_But...I don't know how to ride a horse!" _Kairi threw one arm up to cover her eyes but that simply gave the reaper a free cut on her elbow.

It cut down close to the nerves and felt worse than the sharpest paper cut imaginable. Kairi grit her teeth and a little bit of her blood dripped onto the ground. Uranus seemed pleased by that, as she came up with a rhyme on the spot to describe what was happening.

"Drip drop drip drop. Blood doth spill like a juicy drop pop!"

"_...Scratch that, I don't want any candy ever again!" _Kairi was annoyed that she had to keep retreating from the reaper's charge while Uranus was free to mock her with terrible rhymes.

She could swing her whip to try and deflect the reaper's scythe but it was sharp enough to potentially break the links. But there WAS another target for her whip to have its way with.

"_The horses' legs!" _Kairi briefly looked down and remembered what Mew told her about how important it is to keep your opponent at your eye level if at all possible.

"_If I disable the horse the reaper will be easier to handle!" _But with how broadly the scythe was swung getting by seemed almost impossible.

"_So what I have to do is..." _Kairi's eyes lit up and she swung her left arm up with the perfect creature in mind. Her aura gathered around her arm right as the reaper swung down. And what that devilish delightful blade would meet with was the hardened shell of a tortoise.

The bulky shell repelled the scythe over the reaper's head and Kairi saw her chance.

"Now!" She dispelled the tortoise and swung her whip around the horses' front legs. With one mighty tug the horse went down, and the reaper fell on its side. Kairi felt like cheering. It was exhilarating to chain all that she learned together to take down these foes. For once, she truly felt like she was on top of the world.

However, the fight was far from over. The reaper leaped over its trusted steed and swung its scythe towards the ground, dragging it along as it advanced upon Kairi. Though the fact that its hood was now down, revealing a smiling gingerbread man face, dulled the construct's fear factor by a considerable amount.

Kairi hummed deeply to herself and readied her whip for round two. She now had the height advantage over the reaper but they held the advantage in weapon length. But there was easily a way for her to fix that.

"_Time to bust out the big guns...!" _Was what she wanted to do, but something was gnawing at her to reconsider.

"_Actually..." _She quickly turned to Uranus and focused on her staff, _"If I rob her of her staff, that'll put an end to these creatures!" _

But there were two factors to consider: The girl's Drive, and the reaper's presence.

While running back and swinging to deflect the reaper's scythe Kairi worked out how to get Uranus' staff, _"A creature that can sneak up quick and undetected..." _

Her eyes lit up and she blurted out "Of course!" while throwing her left hand out the ground. Her legs provided decent cover for the snake that she summoned. It burrowed itself into the ice cream snow and through Kairi's commands swiftly wiggled its way towards Uranus.

"_Now for you..."_ Kairi locked her eyes onto the reaper's smiling face and ducked under one of its swings. She buckled her feet against the ground and lunged into its stomach to tackle it to the ground.

She had to sell a struggle so Uranus wouldn't get cautious. So she held back on punching the gingerbread man in its soft smiling face so it'd be able to muster the strength to stand.

She slid off it and watched as it took a swing at her head. She ducked her head back and on the rise swung her whip up to wrap around its arm and force its scythe into the ground. She glanced right and felt the snake was inches away from Uranus.

"Time to deliver the coup de grace!" Kairi pointed her free hand at the reaper's body. Out from behind her sprang a kangaroo that kicked the reaper's chest with the full-force of two double-barreled pistons. Naturally, it crumbled like a cracker all over the ground with barely any effort.

The kangaroo bounced around on its pieces just to be safe, but the battle was going to end soon enough. Kairi turned to the right, her victory over the vicious reaper throwing Uranus into a state of shock. Kairi watched as her slippery little serpent shot out of the ground and went straight for the tip of the staff.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" Uranus suddenly grabbed the sides of her head and evaded the snake by accident. A blood-curling scream joined with another explosion of aura, turning the serpent into a popsicle that shattered on the ground.

Kairi grit her teeth and whispered "Shoot!" then widened her eyes as the ground began to quake at her feet. No. It wasn't just at her feet. This earthquake shook the entire planet.

"_W-What's going on?!" _Was her immediate thought as the cold winds of the planet whipped around Uranus' body. She squeezed the sides of her head like she was in pain and icy tears formed on her cheeks.

"Sitting upon a castle high a princess awaits a prince's stride! Freed from her winter cage the prince's kiss shall melt her icy hide!" Uranus hastily yelled out utter nonsense in a painful voice. Kairi couldn't bear to hear this and instinctively turned her head back towards Mew.

He was standing his ground against the rising storm with his arms crossed and fists taut. He looked ready to jump in and intervene at Kairi's word.

"_No!" _Kairi turned back to Uranus and held herself steady upon the ground, _"I don't need his help! This...is my fight to finish!" _

The ice cream enveloped Uranus' body and formed a giant castle that towered over the land in seconds. But it didn't stop there. This castle was attached to the back of an even BIGGER three-headed dragon. One of its feet alone dwarfing Kairi in size.

Kairi's heart was racing. This was Uranus' last stand against her. If she could overcome this obstacle, it was the absolute proof that she didn't waste her time on Mew's nonsense.

The dragon opened its mouths and set loose a blaze of absolute zero ice. Kairi kicked off the ground and flew! Flew faster than she thought her body could handle past the deadly attack. She sped towards' the dragons heads and avoided their icy glare and echoing roar. She **knew **where her true enemy lied.

On the highest room in the tallest tower, Uranus had been trapped inside of a barred cage of her own making. She still held on tightly to her head but more importantly, her staff. Her aura was out of control, moving around her body in random bursts. There were moments where the staff was untouched by her aura, but they were "blink and you'll miss it" moments.

"_I don't have much time...! I need something fast...fast!" _Kairi's thoughts were going as fast as her body was avoiding all the cover fire from the dragon's mouths. Their balls of ice threatened to ground her as a lifeless statue, but the fire in her heart helped her ward them off.

Then the idea came to her in a crucial moment, and she didn't think on it long. She swung her right hand out and declared "FLY!", where an ear-piercing shriek then heralded the descent of a speeding falcon. It moved straight as an arrow towards Uranus' tower and pierced the winter cage with its sharpened beak. The timing was perfect down to the millisecond, as it used the very same beak to snatch Uranus' staff out of its hand and fly out.

Uranus didn't react to the ensuing collapse of her terrifying prison with anything but chills. All that ice cream went to the ground and piled up as a hill a hundred feet tall. Kairi looked down and saw Uranus at the top of said hill sliding her way down to the bottom. Keeping a cautious mind, she flew down to meet her.

She turned off the Beast Tamer Drive and pointed her staff to meet Uranus' face when she finally made it to the bottom. But as it turned out, it wouldn't be necessary. The whole experience must have drained the little girl to exhaustion, for her eyes were closed and she was snoring softly to herself.

Kairi stared at the real-life sleeping beauty and didn't believe her sleepy-time demeanor was real at first. She held the staff down and almost felt like poking her in the face to double-check, but when she did all the little girl did was smile and giggle.

"_...Its over." _Kairi dispelled her staff and sagged her shoulders in tune with her sigh of relief.

"Good job!" Mew slapped a hand down on Kairi's shoulder and she nearly jumped out of her clothes in fright.

"Eeep!" She turned around, drew her staff, and took a swing at Mew's head. He expertly ducked under it and came back up grinning like an idiot.

Kairi stared at him and, for some reason, is actually glad she didn't hurt him. But she still felt he deserved a good yelling.

"DON'T SNEAK UP ON ME LIKE THAT!" She gave him a mouthful and he threw his hands up with a partway guilty grin.

"Sorry, sorry!" He apologized then tucked his hands into his pockets, his voice becoming full of praise, "But hey buck up! You completely, undeniably, beat a Planetary Aurian on your own!"

Kairi's eyes perked up and she turned towards Uranus. Seeing the little girl relaxing was a godsend, but that didn't change what led to this point. Kairi's heart tied into a knot, and as she raised a fist to her chest she murmured, "Then...why doesn't it feel like I won?"

Mew crossed his arms, walked up closer to Uranus, then looked down at her with a curious gleam in his eyes, "So what are we going to do with her?"

"H-Huh?" Kairi assumed the wrong intentions coming from Mew's tone of voice.

"We can't just leave her here like this." But of course, she was just jumping to conclusion. Of course he'd have the girl's best interests in mind.

"R-Right..." Kairi looked down at the girl once more and felt something different forming in her heart. It was like she was helpless, but not because she was weak, but because she had no solution to help this girl who seemed to be in very dire straits.

"Leave her to me."

Kairi and Mew turned around and saw Michael walking towards them. From the looks of things he had just gotten out of the portal, and his droopy face appeared sadder than usual.

"Michael? What're you doing here?" Mew took the words right out of Kairi's mouth, and the two of them stepped aside to let him pass.

"Word got out that you managed to beat Catherine, so I knew you'd be coming here soon enough..." Michael paused and looked over at Kairi. He tilted his head slightly and wondered, "You the one who fought her?"

"Y-Yes?" Kairi stared in blatant confusion.

Michael suddenly bowed at her and said loudly in gratitude, "Thank you for taking it easy on my little sister."

"...What?!" Kairi reeled back in sync with Mew. She looked over at Uranus then back to Michael and, quite frankly, couldn't see the resemblance in the slightest.

"She's YOUR sister?" Mew once again mirrored her sentiments, "I swear...I had her pegged as Raphael's little sister!"

Michael stood up and faced the unconscious Uranus, letting out a try chuckle before addressing the obvious problem, "I know right? Icy blue skin, the ability to control the cold...No way she'd be related to a useless, greasy pacifist like me huh?"

He bent down and gently picked Uranus up to cradle her in his arms. He turned around and rocked her gently, giving her head the proper support it needed. Kairi watched without saying a word. She didn't even have a thought in her mind. The only sign that she was still alive was that her heart wrenched up in a knot, and the color slowly became flushed from her face.

But she could still hear, and as Michael started to hum the same tune Uranus sang it became clear that he wasn't lying. Mew shook his head and without his usual clowning around asked the doting big brother, "What happened to her?"

Michael raised his head and let out another dry chuckle.

"Remember how I talked about my home planet being at war all the time? Well when I wasn't forced into battle I was back at home taking care of my little sister Vivi," Michael lowered his head to look into her shut eyes with a smile, "My dad died early on in her life and my mom had to work hard to make ends meet. So I was stuck raising little Vivi most of the time."

"Heh, you probably saw how energetic she is. Back home she was always zipping around like she was full of sugar, and the only way I could keep her still was to read out fairy tales. She _loved_ them. Sometimes she'd even make me roleplay the prince to her princess."

"...But little did any of us know, Vivi had a lot of potential energy inside of her just waiting to be unleashed." Michael's tone turned sorrowful as the story continued on.

"A scuffle on the border of our two sides gave the ice side a chance to sneak into my home town and kidnap Vivi. As soon as I found this out...it was already too late. Mages on the ice side of the planet used a powerful dark magic to inverse Vivi's affinity to their side in hopes of claiming her potential energy as the weapon to win the war."

"And they got what they wanted...And so much more than they could have imagined. The moment they finished inverting her her power was unleashed on a cataclysmic scale, covering the whole planet in ice."

"...And that's what led to you and Raphael being stuck together." Mew remarked.

Michael nodded softly then continued, "But Vivi...she wasn't so lucky. She survived the event but her mind was completely broken apart from the strain. Now she could no discern what's real and what's fake...Except when she's in pain."

"...I tried to beg the wizard who saved me to fix my little sister, but he claimed her condition was none of his concern. The only solace he offered was to make her immortal, like me, so perhaps one day I could work out a solution on my own."

Michael's hands tightened into fists and he held Vivi closer to his chest, "But its been two-thousand years and no one's found a cure! Gravitus, Catherine, they've tried everything they could but nothing works!"

"My sister's trapped in her own mind and no matter how much I tell her 'Good morning!', 'I love you!' or 'How are you doing?!' I know she'll never be able to answer me! I'm so desperate to save her that I'd be willing to give up my life in her place!"

Kairi bit her lower lip and suddenly snagged onto the headband around her neck. The discomfort in her heart twisted up and a single tear was wrenched from her eyes.

All of a sudden, Mew put a hand on Michael's shoulder and made him look him in the eyes. With a firm glare he told him, "And what good will it do Vivi if her big brother isn't there for her when she wakes up?"

Michael hung his head a little in shame and admitted, "I-I know that...But what else am I expected to do?"

Mew put on his classic smile and swipe a thumb across the breadth of his chest, "Why...just leave her to me!"

Once again Kairi was taken aback by how swift and suddenly Mew was willing to offer to help someone he only knew for a little bit. Even Michael stared up at Mew and didn't knew how to respond beyond a weak laugh.

"You're a strange one Mew..." He said rather curtly, "But...I guess if there'd be anyone who could do it, it'd be you."

Yet despite Michael knowing Mew just as long, he was willing to put all his faith into his capabilities. Mew smiled brighter, put his hands behind his head and remarked, "And I promise to find a way to fix your problem too Michael!"

Michael shook his head and remarked, "If you can save Vivi over me, then do it. I've got enough control over Raphael to keep him from causing trouble."

He looked down at his little sister and whispered, "But if it wasn't for this planet keeping her away from civilization Vivi would be going around turning everyone and everything into desserts."

"I hear you loud and clear," Mew bobbed his head a couple times then turned for the portal and swung his right hand up to say, "Come on Kairi! We should let these two be for now."

"Huh?!" Kairi briefly snapped out of her funk to see Mew heading into the portal. She looked back down at Michael and Vivi and tugged at her headband with one finger. She wanted to say something, ANYTHING, but nothing she thought of sounded genuinely concerned.

So she turned away and started to move when Michael suddenly said, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

She looked back and Michael reached into Vivi's robe to pull out her stamp. Kairi slowly approached him and he stamped the back of her right hand. The stamp this time represented a little girl resting in her bed, with a dream cloud hovering overhead.

"Mmrrrmm..." The urge to say something grew stronger, but as she began to open her mouth Michael said something truly bizarre.

"You know...I don't know what it is, but something about you's...different than it was before." He looked at Kairi with a sincere smile and then went back to whispering a fairy tale to his little sister.

Kairi clenched her fist up near her heart and then, upon feeling a swell of puzzling emotions in her mind, ran straight for the portal to leave this exhausting scene behind...

_Next Time: A Gamble of Grand Proportions _


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Fate, Fortune, and Feelings**

Coming straight out of the portal to Uranus, Mew stretched his arms over his head and let out a strenuous grunt. Kairi followed behind a few seconds later, the stamp she got pushing the portal aside. Mew turned around to face the sliding portal and thought, _"Two to go...Neptune and...Pluto."_

He scoffed a little at the latter but decided to go along with it. He then moved his attention towards Kairi and saw her looking at the ground. She wasn't anywhere close to being as chipper as Mew was expecting.

"_Geez, you were all smiles a few minutes ago..." _As callous as his thoughts came across, Mew DID have a guess as to what was bugging her, _"Though after all that..."_

Mew held up his shoulders then dropped them as he sighed, _"Can't say I blame her. She's starting to see how big the world truly is...And how bad things can get for other people."_

Mew looked at her face and saw her looking around. Her gaze was as lost as her mind. So, being the nice guy he is and all, he thought to try and set her back on the right path a little.

"Hey," Mew waved his hand up to grab her attention from the corner of her eye, "What's up? You won, you oughta be celebrating!"

Kairi swung her head up glaring at him and exclaimed, "What do you care?!"

Mew closed his eyes and with another sigh thought, _"Oooookay Mew, just baaaaack away, don't push your luck..." _

Thus he quietly walked around her and started going up the stairs. He looked over his shoulder until he was certain she'd be following. She caught up in seconds and gave him grief for moving on ahead.

"D-Don't go without saying anything asshole!" She was really pouring on the "mean" this time around. Mew was worried about her being like this again, considering the steps she had been making.

He cocked his head towards his left shoulder and chuckled, "Sorry you just didn't look very into it anymore."

"I-I'm fine! Send me at the next Planetary Aurian! I'll take 'em down!" Kairi swung one fist up but her movements were limp and embarrassingly forced if even Mew could figure out she was faking bravado.

"Haaaa..." Mew closed his eyes with a smile, "Just leave the next one to me. **You** need to take a break."

"But-!"

"No buts!" Mew said in a humored tone, "We're too late in the game to be taking risks, and you ain't fooling anyone with that tough guy act."

Kairi actually stopped resisting, not even to give a "Hmph!" or a pout. Mew paused for a moment then delicately told her, "I know you're feeling down in the dumps, but fighting like that will get you killed."

Kairi shifted her gaze to the left and guzzled down her pride to admit, "Ughhh, fine. I'll sit this one out."

"You just don't understand..." She then mumbled under her breath as Mew turned forward. It was a comment that he logged away for later.

The climb to the ninth floor took them on a zig-zag path for a few minutes longer than expected. When they finally arrived there was...a whole lot of nothing. For the first time since the entrance Mew was greeted by empty space and featureless walls.

"_D-Did somebody just move out or...?" _He had half a smile, mostly from unease, as he drew his attention towards where the portal lied. There, he'd find his answer.

The portal was locked up behind a golden gate twenty feet wide, fifteen feet tall, and five feet deep. Its locks and mechanism were too numerous to count and every square inch was made out of solid twenty-four karat gold...Except for the tiny window that confirmed the portal was even behind the damn thing.

"What in the world?" Mew whispered as he made his way right over, Kairi barely keeping pace.

He rubbed his hand up and down the front of the gate. It was as smooth as a baby's bottom.

"_At least...I think so?" _Little known fact, Mew has never been in contact with a baby's bottom.

Mew scrunched up his face in confusion then looked the whole thing over. While he did Kairi had her own tired observation to make.

"Can't you just...break it open?"

Mew knocked a couple times then puckered his lips, squinted his eyes, and let out a blubbering scoff.

"You kiddin'? This thing looks expensive, and I ain't looking to get sued!" Before Kairi had any other halfhearted ideas Mew happened to notice something on the left side. It was a lone button hovering over a slot. The whole thing just kind of blended together so much that truly, only someone with his exceptional eyesight could have figured out it was there.

"Oooooo, what does this button doooo?" Mew dangled his pointer finger in circles on its descent to the button, his voice sounding rather high-pitched and obnoxious.

He tapped the button down and on the moment of release a coin fired out of the slot. Mew quickly snatched it out of the air and laid it before his face. It said "V.I.P." in a darker shade of gold than the rest of the gate.

"V.I.P.?" Kairi said, her head tilted over Mew's shoulder. She retreated when Mew saw and started tapping her foot on the ground. Mew smiled, balanced the coin on one finger, and spun it around.

"Guess the next Planetary Aurian's got a fancy side to them?" He observed. Then, out of the blue, the gate started to operate on its own. Starting from the bottom gears to the top hinges, the gate split in two slid along the ground. Even for how heavy it must be it didn't make a sound. Something both Mew and Kairi were eternally grateful for.

For once, someone was waiting for them _in front _of the portal. They were a young adult woman roughly a couple inches shorter than Kairi but, to call them a human would...potentially be jumping to conclusions. She had the slender frame, average sized breasts and skin of a woman but the color of said skin was a bright pink and her arms down to her elbows were covered in various different sized, dark pink, rock-like scales. Her hair was combed down to her waist to look like a curtain of rosy silk but also did a terrible job hiding the crop of thorn-shaped horns atop her head. The most telling sign of what manner of lifeform she is came from her fingernails, or rather, claws. They were an inch thick and rough like processed coal, with the tips appearing sharp enough to turn the gold around her into paper thin shreds.

Yet despite all beastly manner of appearance this woman was fairly dressed in a delightful white butler suit with short cuffed sleeves and a pink bow tie at the bottom of her neck. She complimented her appearance with beige pants, a brown leather belt to tie the two halves together, golden bowler shoes, and black cotton socks. To top it off, she wore white gloves that were specifically designed with her claws in mind, with holes pre-cut into the fabric to allow them to slip through.

The woman slowly walked away from the portal without missing a step or looking anything like a fool. She stood between her two guests with poise and then laid one arm up before her chest to take a bow.

"Mew, Kairi, I trust you have been well?" She politely showed that she had already familiarized herself with the two and then raised her head while they'd been rendered speechless and opened her eyes. The sclera was pitch black like the darkest reaches of space while her irises were a soft blossom of sapphire. The pupils were slits like a snake's, but there was nothing venomous about her demeanor nor posture.

"_She's pretty." _Mew didn't have any shame admitting that. This mysterious woman clearly put a lot of care into her appearance and didn't mind that her more beastly features would potentially detract from it. Actually, considering the way her sleeves were presented to show off her scales, she clearly didn't think there was anything to be ashamed of.

When neither of her guests responded the woman turned around and remarked "Come with me" as she made her way back into the portal.

Mew looked at Kairi and she was fluttering her eyelashes. She was thinking the same thing Mew was, "H-How does she know who we are?"

"Heh," Mew patted her on the back once then laughed at her confusion a little, "We already beat seven of her comrades. Not surprised the word's gotten out to the last two."

He then firmly stared at the portal and advised her "Don't let your guard down" as he too made his way inside.

Mew was no astrologist but he knew that Neptune was yet another gas giant. So would they wind up on one of its moons? Or would it be like Saturn where they fought elsewhere close to the planet?

When he got out of the portal and Kairi followed a little later, Mew could barely see anything. The only light came in through a window barely bigger than Mew's head, and the "mysterious" woman was nowhere to be found.

"Where are we?" Kairi wondered.

"This isn't like any Neptune I'VE ever heard of." Mew chuckled.

"Correct." The woman's voice punctured the darkness, the side of her head poking out in the corner of the glass window.

"Pardon my rudeness. I forgot to introduce myself." The woman coughed, and the room they were in shook for a moment. A soft hissing heralded the act of the door she stood in front of sliding open.

"My name is Priscilla Silverfang, and I wish to welcome you both..." As the door finished opening the woman closed her eyes, bowed her head, and stepped aside, "To Casino Neptune."

Mew and Kairi took their first steps into a spectacular world of shining gold and luck-based games. The part of the casino they entered was hundreds of feet tall and had many floors dedicated to slots, card games, and bingo just to name a few. Spread between them were restaurants serving food from far out locations, the cooks hustling to keep their customers stomachs filled. Sparkling lights and scenic views covered the spaces in-between, with a tightly locked glass window keeping the happy-go-lucky customers from being jettisoned out into the gassy blue skies of the planet.

There was too much to take in all at once. If Mew wanted to describe every unique facet of this place he'd be standing there for an hour. His time, he felt, was better spent on just _what _kind of customers this casino attracted. Him and Kairi were the only humans here. Everyone else were aliens. There were your usual suspects like the slimy guys with tentacles and the floating brains in glass jars, but that alone wasn't enough to jog Mew's interest.

Cause among the crowd of millions he could pick out a couple recognizable species. The purple mushroom headed Shroobs, the armored four fingered lizards known as the Covenant Elites, and the battle-hungry reptilian Krogans were just a few species who numbered the ranks. Needless to say there were certainly a lot of..._dangerous _species gathered in one place.

Mew and Kairi stood there gawking for their own reasons until Priscilla stepped in front of them and remarked, "Unfortunately, you are both too young to gamble here. So if you had any prior predisposition to make some cash..."

Mew clamped his mouth shut and stared at the aliens some more. As his warning signs started blaring "Code Red" he waggled a finger up and stuttered, "I...would like to voice a complaint to the manager."

Kairi clobbered him in the hip with her elbow and whispered for him to "Zip it!", and he threw his hands up going "What?"

Priscilla kept up her professional air and remarked, "You'll have your chance soon enough. Now, if you would..."

She turned around and headed straight into the thick crowd of aliens unopposed. Mew and Kairi exchanged a glance, shrugged their shoulders, then figured they had no choice but to follow along.

The crowd didn't give them any trouble. Priscilla's path guided them through the _least_ bustling part of the casino. They were heading towards a staircase past the slots, but where _that _would lead was a mystery only Priscilla could solve.

As Mew's nose was assaulted by the offensive odor of thousands of excited, sweaty aliens, he pushed his way through the crowd and asked Priscilla, "Actually if you don't mind me asking...What's up with all these aliens?"

"Casino Neptune exists as a melting pot for aliens all across the universe to gather and have fun. The most important rule, and perhaps the only one, is to not cause any trouble while you stay." Her answer was swift and covered every base Mew was thinking of. He couldn't tell if that was because she was just that good at her job or, more worryingly, she could read minds.

Priscilla put one foot on the steps and suddenly jerked her head back, her horned ears perking up from the sides of her hair. Mew thought he had hit the mark on the latter until he heard the sound of metal breaking upon metal. Kairi and him turned around and saw the aliens forming an unorganized perimeter around two particular troublemakers.

Broken slot machines served as pedestals for a Shroob and Covenant Elite to gnash their foul tongues at one another using their unique languages. But they both recognized aggression, and it wasn't long before they drew their weapons. The Shroob's dingy laser pistol looked pathetic when matched up to the Covenant Elite's glistening energy sword. In a couple seconds the floor would be bathed in purple blood, and nobody seemed to know why this fight was happening.

"Shouldn't there be a bouncer or something?" Mew remarked as he put his right hand up, sighed, and prepared to draw his sword. However, he felt a rise in aggression coming from behind. He swore he heard the roar of a dragon in his head and turned back to find Priscilla adjusting her tie a little.

"Forgive me. Just one moment..." She whispered before disappearing from sight, the dust at her feet rising in the time it took Mew to turn to the crowd.

The second after both aggressors were smashed face first into the ground with Priscilla bent down between them, her arms transformed into bigger, scalier claws. Her thick claws wrapped around their necks and nailed them to the ground. Two of the most dangerous aliens in the entire universe...Pacified like a couple of babies.

"If you wish to fight, take it elsewhere!" Priscilla shouted, her nostrils flaring with the fumes of a volcano's breath. Her voice dug deep into the aggressor's hearts and shook them up. Priscilla then breathed out slowly and lifted the two aliens to their feet and forced them to turn and face her.

Both of them, and in truth the whole crowd, stood silent as Priscilla closed her eyes and lectured the creatures in their respective languages. A change in tongue couldn't hide that she was exasperated at the cause of their conflict.

But when the negotiations were over Priscilla gave each of them some money and sent them on their way. The aliens all resumed gambling at the other working machines, while Priscilla snapped her fingers and called up a pair of barrel-chested triangular grunts in suits to clean up the mess that was made.

She then zipped right on back to where she was without an inch out of place and readjusted her tie to resume her gentlemanly tone of voice, "Let us continue."

Mew walked a little past Kairi and heard her whisper, "I-I didn't even see her move..."

Mew smiled as big as a whale's mouth and giggled in joy, "I know its so exciting!"

He couldn't even wait until they were all at the top of the stairs to tell Priscilla, "I can already tell you're going to be a fun opponent."

Priscilla stopped at the half-circle door a few feet over and gleamed at Mew over her shoulder. Her pupils thinned and she scoffed loudly his way. Mew's smile slowly diminished until he was left confused.

"You aren't tough enough to beat me, Elemental Overlord..." She said not as a puff of hot-air, but as a sincere statement of fact. Her rougher side slipped through only for that moment, for as she opened the door in front of her with a wave of the hand she remarked, "And besides...I am neither the Planetary Aurian nor the manager of this casino. That would be..."

Priscilla closed her eyes and slowly let out air through her nostrils like she sounded flustered. She then looked back at both Mew and Kairi staring at her and recomposed herself with a cough.

"Well...enough talk. Let us head to the V.I.P. Room." She guided her guests into the room beyond. Inside were a few dozen golden bullet trains and even more tunnels for them to enter through. But out of all the trains Priscilla went for the centermost one which had a tunnel all to its own. She turned around and waggled one of her hands out.

"I will take your pass now, if you would please."

Mew pulled out the coin he got and handed it over. Priscilla nodded and stuck the coin into the door of the train, allowing it to slide open and allow them in. She stood aside, gestured at the door, and Mew and Kairi stepped on inside.

Mew plopped right down on the soft red cushions and leaned his hands up behind his head to relax. Kairi sat down on the seat, starting with her hands on the edge, and slowly working her butt down. Priscilla went right up the front where the control panel was and shut the door behind her. With one press of the button the train's anti-gravity field went off and levitated the vehicle off the ground. It was a rocky start but once it smoothed out the train sped straight for the tunnel ahead of them.

It must have been moving faster than a rocket but the ride was so smooth it was like they were canoeing on a gentle river. They were quickly shot out of the building and given a full view of just how big the casino truly was. As it turns out, the section they were in was merely _one-twentieth_ of this _one _building. There was a second building thousands of miles away where a couple dozen different alien spacecraft parked themselves. The parking space also came equipped with a hotel.

Mew turned and pressed his hands up against the window to get a better look at the scenery. The gas clouds of the planet weren't as thick around the casino, and the supposedly gloomy atmosphere was non-existent thanks to the bright lights around both major buildings. The buildings were connected together by thousands of tunnels rode by thousands of trains. There was likely a tunnel for every destination imaginable FROM every destination imaginable.

But the tunnel they were in was one-of-a-kind. It only went to one location – a giant roulette wheel high in the sky. It didn't glow as bright as the other buildings but the attention to detail present was very clean and smooth.

The trip up was quick and quiet. It didn't need to be anything more than that in Mew's mind, cause the scenery of this casino told him everything he needed to know about the Planetary Aurian. He came out of the train smirking and closing his fists ready to fight. Priscilla took the lead and guided them down a very short hallway into what would be a very, very open space.

Mew discovered that a lot of this building's detail was all on the outside. A vast majority of its insides were featureless empty space. The walls and ceiling did not offer much light, and there was no glitz or glamour to be found throughout. Yet Priscilla insisted on carrying forward into the darkness, and Mew and Kairi really had no choice but to follow.

After a few seconds Mew started to hear the sounds of glass balls clacking. A distinct noise that could only come from the act of playing a game of pool. Sure enough there was a pool table just sitting there in the very center of the building, with someone leaning over and entertaining themselves all by their lonesome.

Priscilla stopped but a few feet away and let out a coarse cough. The person at the pool table stopped and perked upright as they were addressed in a rather fluffy tone by their straight-laced guide.

"Your guests have arrived..."

"'Your guests have arrived'...What?" The person's voice was deep and suave, and only a little masculine.

Priscilla froze up, bit her teeth and grumbled, "I-In front of the guests? Really?"

"Don't be shy Priscilla. Anymore pink in the face and you'd be bubblegum. Which is fine by me, for I tend to eat y-"

"O-Ok!" Priscilla blurted, her rugged composure melting like sugar in the face of her scrupulous boss. She took a deep breath, tried her hardest to push Mew and Kairi's presence out of her mind, and said in a far more relaxed if not lucid tone of voice, "Your guests have arrived...honeybell..."

The person turned around and leaned their elbows against the edge of the pool table, their pool stick tucked underneath the left arm. Unlike their pink-skinned compatriot the boss of this casino wore a dashing long-sleeved black tuxedo with a light-green undershirt and dark green cuffs. They preferred loose black nylon pants with a silver belt to hold them up, and a pair of slick brown bowling shoes. A white bow-tie topped off the undershirt and a set of rings adorned all fingers but their thumb. A ruby ring lied closest to their body, followed by a sapphire, emerald, and topaz ring as the fingers went further out.

Their fingernails were glossed with sparkling green polish, which proved a surprisingly nice compliment to their light blue-purple skin. Their hair was short and mint-green, with the bangs cut to just below the ear lobe. Their eyes were similarly colored. Finally, a tiny golden dice earring hung from each ear.

The choice of clothes and delicate frame actually made it super difficult for Mew to piece together the manager's gender. But as they pushed themselves away from the pool table and walked towards Priscilla their hips subtly started to sway, giving Mew the last hint he needed to solve the puzzle.

The manager stopped a step away from Priscilla and leaned her head up under her chin. They gently pulled the pink-skinned chauffeur's head down by the chin and smiled. The manager was a couple inches shorter than Priscilla but was in full control of her every foot of her body. The two's eyes locked and Mew could feel a tingling sensation coming between them that made him shudder.

"Ring ring..." The manager whispered as the two turned their heads in opposite directions, closed their eyes, and pressed their lips together. The sounds of them kissing reached out to Mew and filled his cheeks red with embarrassment and his heart green with envy. He tried standing on his tip-toes and leaning around for an opening to watch them go at it, but Priscilla's hair proved to be an impenetrable wall of lust that kept Mew out no matter which way he turned.

After ten seconds of them passionate kissing Kairi nervously coughed up an "A-Ahem!" and they slowly but surely came to a stop. Though judging from their lack of a reaction, they were finishing up anyways. The two lovers then turned to their guests. Priscilla's cheeks were dark red and her draconic eyes slipped around the room.

But the manager stood upright with a smile and graceful posture and laid a hand up to their chest as they addressed Kairi directly, "Is there something the matter?"

Kairi socked her lips a couple times as she stuttered out a cough and then bluntly remarked, "I-If you want to make out then go it in private...L-Like normal husbands and wives do."

She slowly opened her eyes and turned away. Mew was seeing a whole other side to her, one that was very vulnerable to the concept of true love. However...

"Heh," He chuckled, much to Kairi's confusion and annoyance. He waved his arm towards the two lovers and remarked, "You wanna try again?"

"W-What are you talking about?" She stuttered with a hand up to her chin and a nervous biting down of her teeth.

The manager propped their pool stick under their chin and hands and wiggled a finger up, "If a question has two answers, and one is wrong, then the other one must be correct."

"Question? What question?" Kairi stared on, clearly not getting it.

"_Hooo boy..." _Mew sighed and left the manager to clean up this mess.

They closed their eyes and riddled Kairi in a sultry voice, "You're so close. All you need is a little more iron in your diet and perhaps it'll come to you."

As strange as the riddle was, Kairi seemed to get it after a little thinking and her jaw instantly dropped towards the floor as she exclaimed, "Y-You're a...girl?!"

"If that makes things easier for you then yes, I am," The manager lifted their head and laid one arm over their chest, saying in a familiar, courteous tone, "I am the manager of this bustling little casino. But, I suppose you would know me more as the Planetary Aurian of this sector, mmmhmm?"

She closed her eyes and remarked, "As long as you are here, you may refer to me as Neptune."

"And when we aren't here?" Mew joked.

"Then you will still call me Neptune," She opened one eye and wiggled her nose mischievously, "Wouldn't want to be inconsistent now would we?"

Mew laughed at that while checking up on Kairi. She was still awe-struck. A whole new world has just been opened up to her, and her mind was struggling to process it.

"B-But girls...can't kiss girls..."

Mew laid a hand flat against the side of his face and wound up sounding like a soft-spoke librarian as he told her, "When we get him I think you and I are going to have a niiiice long talk about lesbians."

Kairi turned to Mew, swung her hands out at the loving couple and babbled out, "B-B-But it doesn't make any sense! How...how can they make babies?!"

Neptune let out a soft, hearty chuckle and looked over at Priscilla, who had a big smile as her lover remarked, "My my, it seems we've reeled in a fresh fish."

Neptune then unleashed her smooth, lustful gaze upon Kairi's pure, vulnerable heart. Kairi froze upright and twisted her head back as the manager took a few steps closer and leaned her shoulder up against Kairi's bosom. Neptune wiggled her fingers out like she was playing a piano then winked at the bewildered girl.

"I may not know how to tune a piano, but I **do **know how to tune a fish."

Priscilla groaned very loudly and Mew rolled his eyes. Kairi sucked her lips into her mouth and weakly murmured, "I-I don't think I'm ready to be in a harem..."

A moment later Neptune backed up and turned away, brushing her hand up beside her hair as she announced, "You have nothing to fear. Too tall, too busty, too pale skinned, too scaleless...I'm afraid you just aren't my type."

Neptune nestled up next to Priscila and forced her arms around one of hers. The embarrassment she had seems to have gone to the wayside upon the realization that there's no hiding their feelings now.

But as heart-racing as this display of true love was Mew had bigger priorities on his mind, "I totally support your relationship and all but if you don't mind me asking..."

Mew punched his fist into an open palm and grit his teeth fiercely as he demanded to know, "When we fighting?!"

Neptune and Priscilla looked into each other's eyes and spoke without a word. The two broke apart and Priscilla went straight on over to Kairi in the blink of an eye. Kairi was still struck with a deep moral quandary regarding what she knew about sexuality and Priscilla's dangerously close presence would only serve to worsen the matter.

"Kairi, if you would please follow me I would like to show you around the facilities."

Kairi stuttered and slowly cocked her head towards the half-dragon, "W-What?"

Priscilla gently put her hand around Kairi's wrist and even so was easily able to drag her along towards the hallway they first entered from.

"There are spas, a luxurious movie theater, a weight room, the kitchen, our bedrooms..." Priscilla trailed off and Mew watched as Kairi swung her right hand out and seemed to mouth "Help me!" while dragging her feet against the ground.

Mew cupped his hands around his mouth and hollered out, "You'll be fine! Just keep your guard up!"

Despite his joking tone Mew _was_ a little worried for Kairi's well-being, _"Sorry Auris, but I think I screwed up big time..." _

Mew felt himself getting prodded in the butt a couple times and turned around. Neptune stood sideways with her poolstick behind her back and prodded him once more in time with a wink.

"Shall we begin?" She expertly twirled her stick into one hand and propped it up next to her as she walked back over to the pool table.

"Sure! What's the name of the game here?" Mew crossed his arms and scurried on over to the pool table. Neptune tapped a button underneath it and all of a sudden a rack of pool sticks shot up behind the table.

"How familiar are you with pool?" She asked while gathering the balls out from below and setting them up inside of a plastic triangle.

Mew scratched the side of his face and chuckled, "I've caught a few games on TV but besides that..."

"Then take a pick. Choose any stick." Neptune's innocuous rhyming gave Mew swift flashbacks to Uranus' and made him shudder for a moment on his way to the pool sticks.

There were seven to choose from, each colored after a different gemstone. Neptune's own stick was made of finely smoothed diamonds.

"_I guess this is like with Seth...All I got to do is win and we'll be able to move on." _Mew grabbed the ruby pool stick and the moment he took it out the rack slid back into the ground.

"Ah, the ruby. The jewel of courage, emotion, passion...and love," Neptune leaned up against the edge of the pool table and wiggled her fingers up against the sides of her face, "I've been waiting for an opponent like you, Mew."

Mew went to the corner next to Neptune and asked, "Did Saturn tell you my name?"

Neptune wiggled her right pinky up and giggled, "Do you even have to ask?"

"Well its just that...Its only fair that you tell me your name if you know mine."

Neptune gently closed her eyes, stood up and said, "My name is Belle."

"Ok B-" Neptune pressed two of her fingers up against his lips and said, "But you will still refer to me as Neptune. Only two people in the whole universe can refer to me by my real name."

"_Priscilla's obviously one of them. But who would the other be...?" _As Mew thought about this Neptune removed her fingers and set the balls in the center of the table. She took off the triangle and edged her way around the left side of the table.

"The rules are simple. We will play until all balls are in the holes. You can go for any number you wish, in any order you want."

"_Sounds pretty straightforward," _Mew sold to himself softly in his head, _"...If only it were that easy."_

There was no doubt some trick to Neptune's game that would give her an overwhelming advantage. Mew would just have to keep his eye out and hope its obvious to someone like him.

"And since you're the guest of honor, you can make the first move," Neptune bowed her arm at the table and looked up Mew with a smirk and wink, "And there are no tricks. We are playing an honest game of pool. I stake my reputation as the owner of this casino on this fact."

"_...Well, if she says so." _There was still a need to be cautious, but Mew felt like letting his guard down just a little bit because of her honesty.

He leaned down at the table, laid his pool stick out towards the balls, and set up his hands along the stick's length as he remembered seeing on TV. Neptune leaned up against the adjacent side and silently watched over him.

"_...Just think Mew, pool's a lot like..." _Mew widened his eyes and felt the literal egg on his face as he realized, _"Uhhh, crap I don't think there is anything else like pool."_

He had to trust in his instincts. He had no other options. So he lined up his pool stick and took a shot at the white ball in his way. The balls broke off from each other and bounced around. The pool table was pretty spacious compared to the one's back on Earth. As much as he'd have liked to get all the balls in at once, he only managed to get one in.

"...Huh, that wasn't so bad." It felt like something worth bragging about as he stood up and set his stick by his hip.

But then Neptune stepped up to the plate and lined up her shot. She held the pool stick like a pro, gently gliding her fingers up and down to subtly adjust the angle and force of her shot. Her eyes were locked straight onto her target and no distractions on the outside. Her posture was incredible. She had the perfect height and build for playing pool.

Mew was worried that he had started the game only to instantly lose, but when Neptune took her shot at the white ball all her fancy rebounding simply amounted to her sinking one ball in.

"Hmmm..." She hummed and didn't lay her intentions bare. She simply backed up and let Mew in.

As he went on to the other side of the table Neptune planted her elbows on the edge and kicked one foot up, hanging it there for a bit before switching sides.

"So, how **is **my sister doing these days?"

"Gckk!" Mew held back on his shot at the last second and had to readjust himself for a second attempt. All the while he stared at the petite manager and tried to match her appearance up with any of the other Planetary Aurians.

There was no one who looked like her. But, as crazy as it sounded in his head, there was _one _connection he could make to a previous opponent.

"Oh, you're...Jupiter's sister?"

Neptune playfully closed her eyes and perked up her smile. It was **scary** how she was once again on the same wavelength with Mew's thoughts, "We looked a little similar...When we were younger."

Mew closed his eyes and matched the two's appearance side-by-side in his head, then tried to imagine Jupiter a few years younger with hair like her sister. And to his surprise, _"Wow they...actually look like sisters then."_

But even if he could match the appearances he couldn't consolidate their personalities and professions. As interesting as this game was, he was much more interested in learning more about Neptune and Jupiter's past.

After taking his shot he stood up and asked, "Soooo...the casino business?"

"Do you want to know what inspired me down this career path?" Again, Neptune had property rented out in Mew's mind.

As she set up her next up shot she had most of her attention on Mew despite her eyes not displaying such affection. He attentively nodded his head and she started without missing a beat.

"Noel and I came from a rather...untamed world. Beasts ruled the jungles, and criminals ruled the cities. Our parents were slaughtered by wild animals, but I was too young to remember that. Noel kept me safe from harm. Even as a five-year old she had the ferocity to rival the king of beasts.

She would punch them, bludgeon them with rocks, even bite them if that's what it took to keep our broken family together. We struggled to survive every single day, feeding off the land and clothing ourselves with trash. All we wanted was a place to call ourselves home.

Our journey took us to the largest city at the center of the world. There was plenty of food to scrounge up and even the trash tasted divine. There was no use complaining. Noel saw fit to remind me to appreciate the little things while telling me how someday, we'd make it big in the world.

She pushed herself so hard for my sake and I felt guilty that I couldn't do more to help. So one day, when I was around I believe...ten years old? I went out on my own to surprise my big sister with something special. Something unique that we'd never find anywhere else.

And that is where my troubles began. In the naivete of my youth I had wandered out of my sister's protective shield and into the shadow's of the criminal underground. Two terrifying thugs found and kidnapped me for their boss, who ran a casino with a positive public image.

The thugs called me 'good servant material', hyping me up to their boss for the right to earn a higher pay grade. But I was just a frail little girl, too scared to even speak. The boss must have seen something deeper though, for he decided to take me under his wing.

He was a nasty mob boss but also the closest thing I had to a father. He gave me clean food and clothes and, much to my surprise, taught me how to perform magic."

"Magic?" Mew gasped after taking his shot. Neptune leaned her back up against the opposite side of the pool table and clasped her pool stick between her elbows as she leaned her head back.

"Yes. Magic. What he saw in me must have been a gift for the arcane arts, and a potential to take over his role as the leader of the casino. And so for the next six years he raised me for that role. He gave me a job as a waitress in the casino when I was thirteen, my quiet personality making me perfect for the role. It seemed like the perfect life, but no matter how much I gained there was something I couldn't replace...

I wanted to find my sister. I knew she was still out there somewhere, trying to find me. Even if it was just for one day, I wanted to leave the casino to find her. But on the day I attempted to leave, I stumbled upon something that would change my life forever.

The casino was not run by an ordinary mob. Everyone, even the man who raised me, was a demon in disguise. They enchanted the machines with dark magic designed to feed on the greed in people's hearts and convert it into blood money that they fed on to live, grow stronger, and reproduce. Their end goal was to overrun the entire planet in demon kin and offer it to some unknown 'master'. And by raising children like me as their 'vessels' it would greatly increase the amount of greed they could produce.

I was shocked, but ultimately powerless. I could tell the people in the casino, but who would believe me? No. I knew in my heart that I had to be the one to banish this scourge from the planet for good. So in secret I began to learn greater magic for a few more years, waiting and watching for any weaknesses in my caretakers.

On the eve of my sixteenth birthday, I prepared to strike. I was confident in my abilities. I had taken the necessary precautions to avert any causalities. All that was left was to take the mob down, even if the odds were against me.

But, as fate would see fit, I would not fight this battle alone. The local police unit, formed in response to the overabundance of criminal activity across the planet, busted into the casino after finding out about the demon menace in control.

The casino turned into a bloodbath of demon flesh with the police taking the lead and me picking off the stranglers in secret. During the mayhem however I ran into the last person I ever expected to see again.

My sister Noel, in the years since we were separated, had grown up into a fine, headstrong woman under the tutelage of the police's commander. Our appearances had changed so much over the years but with one look we knew we were family.

Our reunion would have to wait, however, as the mob boss shed his mortal coil and revealed himself as a Demon Lord. He challenged me as a fool denying my greater purpose...And so me and Noel beat the crap out of him."

Mew's eyes widened at the coarse language Neptune suddenly chose to use. After she finished a shot she lifted her head with a smirk and pushed a couple fingers up to her lips, "Oops...its seems a bit of my sister slipped out there."

After that not-so embarrassing slip up Neptune continued.

"The Demon Lord fell, cursing me for my betrayal, and he died with a genuine plight of remorse that I did not wish to be his successor. Though his final words shook me, the chance to sit down and speak with my sister again cured the wounds left behind by years of deception and slavery.

Of course, I had to answer to the police for a couple days. I DID have some involvement with the demon's activities, after all. But after that was all cleared up there was still one more surprise left in my store for me...One that would decide the course of my life thereafter.

As it turns out the mob's casino was legally purchased for. That means everything they owned, from the building to the money inside, belonged to someone else as dignified by the will of the boss. And that person, as fate would once more dictate, would be me.

At first I didn't know quite what to do with all that money. I could practically be considered loyalty by now. But I never wanted to be a queen, nor a king nor emperor or anything else in-between. No, what I wanted was something a little...More.

I guess you could say I inherited some of those demons' greed. I had this grand idea. A casino to end all casinos. It took all of my money and some help on Saturn's end, but I was able to move the casino here and start my business in style."

She leaned her elbows up against the pool table and let out a sigh as Mew took his shot, "Doesn't that sound like such a fairy tale ending? Well unfortunately it wasn't that easy."

"As it turns out, setting up a casino in the middle of nowhere isn't the best of ideas. Who knew?" Neptune shrugged her shoulders without a care and continued on her merry way, "My only recourse was to advertise in places with a bunch of space travel. Unfortunately I could not rely on Saturn for help, as her, my darling sister, and that guy with them were too busy wandering the universe and kicking butt."

"_'That guy'? Ouch..." _Mew had some deep pity for Seth's state of affairs.

"And that is where Gravitus came in." The story had been interesting up until this point but now THIS was the point where Mew stopped playing the game to pay super close attention. Neptune seemed fine to oblige this little break.

"He sold me on his ideals and we worked out a mutually beneficial business relationship. He would use his know-how to advertise my casino across other worlds, and in return he would receive a 10% cut of any profits I make.

And he made good on his word. Business blossomed at an exponential rate, and I actually struggled at first to keep up with the demand. I expanded my building with the funds while Gravitus took his cut and used it in the service of his ideals."

Neptune stood up and leaned back against her pool stick. She raised her right hand out to Mew and said with a tiny smile, "And as of right now my casino is the biggest, most bustling hot spot across 99% of the known universe."

"Heh, talk about humble beginnings." It was a nice story overall, but there were a couple gaps Mew wanted filled immediately.

"But...where does Priscilla fit into all this?"

"Ask her if you're feeling particularly daring," Neptune said with her continued laid-back tone, "Oooor you could bet against me for the right to the story...If you're willing to wager your soul."

"Hahaha..." Mew dryly chuckled at her straight-faced sense of humor then waved his hand down and told her, "No thanks, I like my soul where it is."

"Interesting..." Neptune whispered as she leaned in to continue the game.

"And one other thing...What was Gravitus' pitch to you?" Mew slanted his mouth and said in a mocking tone, "Does it have to do with peace?"

"But of course," Neptune's response was quick and serious, "He is a man with unbridled ambition, and the will to make his dreams a reality."

"_What?" _

After taking her shot Neptune propped her stick under her chin, leaned in closer to Mew and whispered, "If you need any proof look no further than his empire...And the hundreds of planets that he has brought peace and prosperity to."

Mew stood still and slowly closed his eyes. Then he thrust them wide open and exclaimed, "WHAT?!"

"What seems to be the problem?" She asked innocuously.

"Oh where do I even begin ummm..." Mew whispered then swung his right arm out and exclaimed, "He's a tyrant?!"

"A tyrant to whom though?" Neptune proposed an interesting question, "To the children he's clothed and fed? To the people who can now rest easy, knowing their worlds are shielded from harm? Perhaps it is the tides who raise their hands in protest..."

Mew just stood there and took Neptune's soft but scathing judgment of his opinion on Gravitus, which she nailed into him with one particularly crucial remark, "Think of it this way, or perhaps you already have...Saturn follows Gravitus. She would never tolerate tyranny. Ergo, what you have been led to think, might not ultimately be the truth..."

She stood up and waved her hand out beside her face with her eyes closed, "Let me make one thing clear. I owe Gravitus for a lot more than you know...But in the end him and I are merely business partners. If the path you travel leads to his demise, I will mourn, but I will not avenge. My business can survive without him now."

She perked one eye open and smirked his way, "This is just a little something for you to think about."

Mew didn't know quite what to think about all this. Just as his opponents seemed to get tougher the further into the Pyramid he got, so too did it become harder to determine the kind of man Gravitus truly was. A tyrant? A saint? A savior? A murderer?

"_No...Something's still not right!" _And the crux of Mew's steadfast refusal to quit lied in the Neo Drive. Still, there'd be time to hash out these thoughts later.

He looked over at Neptune and said, "Thanks."

"Don't thank me. You still have to survive the odds." Neptune tucked her stick behind her back and tapped the pool table to draw Mew's attention towards it.

During that long conversation all the balls had gone into the holes. By looking at the sides of the table Mew could see that Neptune had him beat by three balls. She tapped the pool table one more time the ground opened up to suck it straight down.

"And unfortunately, it seems you will be starting off...poorly." Neptune closed her eyes and waltzed right on by Mew as he slowly turned his head to follow her.

"_So that was all just a warm-up..." _Mew tucked his fists into his pockets and once Neptune was twenty feet away she turned around and raised her pool stick towards him.

"Are you ready to fight now?" She said assertively.

Mew smiled but Neptune immediately waved her stick at him and chuckled, "That's the wrong answer. See, you lost the game by three points...Which means..."

The tip of her pool stick glowed with green sparkles and she muttered the words "Maximus Triplicus!" as a bolt of energy shot forth from her stick and struck Mew before he could before.

Immediately Mew felt his body pulling downward. This was nothing like the increased gravity of Jupiter's moons. His whole body, even down to his teeth and organs, all felt naturally heavier.

Neptune pulled her strange magic wand back to her hip and said, "I have made your body three times heavier."

Mew struggled to lift his head and crack a cocky smile at this magical little minx, "N-No big deal! I fought your sister on Jupiter's moons!"

"Indeed. So far you have beaten the best of the best in our ranks. Gabriel, the Bravest. Catherine, the Smartest. And Noel, the Strongest."

Neptune swiped her left hand out towards the air and all of a sudden the supposed roof of the building swung wide open, revealing a crowd of millions of aliens all gathered in their seats. They were roaring, chomping and lashing at the stage of battle, their cacophony stunning Mew silent.

Neptune then raised her hand to the sky and tucked her staff at her rear. Her voice echoed to the high heavens, demanding the attention of all who resided in her domain, "Ladies, gentleman, and all in-between! I bring to you...a once in a lifetime special event! Hailing from the planet Earth standing six feet tall and currently weighing 525 pounds..."

"_Haaaa...so much for my diet..." _

"The Elemental Overlord himself, the illustrious Mew!" Neptune thrust her open hand towards Mew and immediately the audience erupted into hisses and angered roars.

Mew looked up as best he could and whispered, "Ooof, tough crowd."

Neptune planted her arm up by her chest and declared, "I believe I require no introduction. As the ringleader of this little casino, I promise to offer you the fight of the millennium. So place your bets, so that our match may begin!"

Mew and Neptune looked up at a monitor as the numbers rapidly climbed from 1 and ended on the obscenely high 24,593,876 to 1 odds...AGAINST Mew.

"W-What?!" Mew's face turned pale and his confidence retreated to the deepest reaches of his mind.

Neptune guffawed and waggled her finger up at the gobsmacked boy, "Don't feel too ashamed. The hatred for the Elemental Overlord runs deep in some of these aliens hearts. As for the rest well..."

Neptune sat atop her pool stick like a broom and levitated off the ground. A few white pool balls zipped past Mew's face and floated up next to Neptune's body. She crossed her legs and leaned back, exuding with confidence.

"Lets just say they know better than to bet against me."

Mew regained his cocky grin and then forced his arms up with all his might to draw his sword in both hands. Thankfully it wasn't any heavier, otherwise he'd be in trouble.

"Guess you'll be sending a lot of people home with empty wallets then!"

Neptune smiled to her cheeks and lit up with a hint of glee as she declared, "Splendid! We may be defined by different upbringings, but in our hearts we know that we can only feel alive when we face and triumph against nigh impossible odds!"

Neptune swiped her right arm out and her pools balls stagnated in the air to aim themselves at Mew, "Stand and face me, for when it comes to magic I have no peer! And if you cannot dazzle me with your courage! Your emotion! Your passion! ...Then you will simply be another statistic."

**Vs. The Gambling Empress: Aurian Neptune!**

_Next Time: A Bet on this Bout_


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: Lady Luck is Smiling**

_Meanwhile, in the stands..._

In the back of this rowdy crowd of aliens, Kairi makes her way out with Priscilla close behind her. The fairly dressed pink maiden nudged her along safely down the stairs, telling her that if she sticks close the aliens won't be a threat.

Though that paid little service to the fact that the aliens' stench was as foul as a thousand tons of rotted trash. Kairi pinched her nose and squeezed her lips shut as she made her way down.

"_Ughh, this is terrible...Have these assholes ever heard of a shower?" _Once she was halfway down the steps she looked straight ahead past the pane of glass and saw the reason for all this commotion.

"Isn't that...?" Kairi perked up and picked up her feet in a haste to the window. There she pressed her hands up on it and saw Neptune and Mew staring each other down. Mew looked noticeably strained as he held onto his sword.

"Oh, they're fighting now..." Kairi wasn't at all surprised, but it did seem like it took them a while to get to this point. She had only been gone for twenty minutes, and was forced to see a lot of things that she shuddered to think about.

"Brrr..." As Kairi trembled Priscilla approached from behind.

"I hope you enjoyed the brief tour of the VIP station." She said in a soft, pleasant voice.

Kairi slacked her jaw as she tilted her head back towards her, her laugh as dry as dust, "Y-Yeah, it was a blast..."

Then Kairi felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise up. Priscilla swung her hand up to Kairi's neck and locked two of the claws around them. They edged so close to the skin that Kairi had to hold herself back from breathing deep lest the tips puncture her skin.

"But now the time for games is over." Priscilla's voice deepened and grew quiet, her pupils shrunken to the width of a piece of a paper.

Kairi slowly turned her head forward and lowered her hands to her hips. Her whole body was shaking and jolted when Priscilla barked "Don't make any sudden moves!"

Priscilla grazed the tip of one of her claws on Kairi's skin and murmured, "Such soft, delicate skin...Is this fragile doll really the one?"

"T-The one...?" Kairi slowly whispered.

"Do not even **speak**," Priscilla said with her fangs clenched down and a hiss of fire escaping between the gums, "The legend of my name may not be ingrained into your fairy tales like my wife's is, but even the ignorant masses know to cower at the sound of my title..."

Priscilla's nostrils flared with a puff of ashen smoke as she growled out in a deep, nasally voice, "For I, am the Scourge Draconis."

"_S-Scourge Draconis?"_

"My story is, to say the least, a long one...But no matter," Priscilla's eyes flared open as she put her gaze firmly on the back of Kairi's head, "All you need to know is that whatever I digest, I can infuse into my claws. And right now they are laced with a powerful paralyzing neurotoxin that could knock out a Tremorlord in a nanosecond."

"Why are you doing this?" Kairi couldn't stop herself from asking.

"Why?" Priscilla closed her eyes yet Kairi got the feeling she never stopped looking at her, "Because I owe Gravitus more than you could possibly know. And regardless of whether Belle wins or loses I plan on delivering you to him personally."

Priscilla opened her eyes with exceptional force and vowed to her captive, "So if you make any sudden moves, or even try to _breathe_ the wrong way...My claws will penetrate your skin and the toxin shall do the rest."

Priscilla then nudged her head forward and said, "So enjoy the show. That boy's defeat shall be the last you ever see of him..."

She spoke with an amount of faith bordering on worship towards her wife that for a moment Kairi found herself worrying that Mew could win. She turned to look down on the battlefield and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't place her hands on the window.

"_...But there's no way he'd lose, right?"_ She was Priscilla's hostage, and deep down she knew it was because she didn't listen to Mew. And now, here she stands, worrying that he might not make it through this fight...

_Back below..._

Mew wiggled his bulky sword around in a small circle and found his arms were fighting him every step of the way. He grit his teeth, dispelled his weapon, then let his heavier hands fall to his hips.

"_This is quite the handicap," _He playfully said in his head, _"Guess I'll just have to find a way to turn it to my advantage."_

Neptune winked and nudged her head forward. The pool balls that surrounded her glowed with a hazy lavender and then flung themselves one at a time at Mew.

Mew hopped to the right but dropped to the ground faster than a boulder. Two of the pool balls clocked him in the gut and the rest lined up and rammed him in the forehead as he cobbled over somewhat. He was knocked onto his back and the added weight hurt him extra hard.

He pressed his elbows down and got up on his feet, but it took a second longer than he was expecting. Even the simple act of taunting Neptune by swiping the back of his hand under his chin took excruciating effort.

The balls returned to her side and she waggled a finger up by her face to say, "Seems you could stand to lose a few pounds."

"_Really_?" Mew bit back with a sardonic grin. He then swung his right hand up as hard as he could and threw a fireball straight for Neptune's face.

She met the attack with one of her pool balls swinging at it like an uppercut. Mew volleyed a few more fireballs her way and she beat them back by throwing her pool balls at them like a hurricane of fists. Mew then hung his hands to his hips and Neptune clanked the pool balls together and parted them back around her body.

"Guess those aren't made of glass huh?" Mew deducted.

"Those gem pool sticks aren't just for show, you know~" Neptune teased with a small, dazzling smile and a finger poised before her lips.

"Well I ain't worried about busting a few balls!" Mew boasted with a big grin.

Neptune's brows perked up and she let out a subdued, tantalizing "Oooh" as she rested her hands even atop the pool stick and remarked, "Well don't you worry little boy, I have plenty of other tricks up my sleeves."

"Little...boy?" Mew jogged his mind trying to process why she said that, "Uhh, immortality aside, aren't we both the exact same-"

Neptune suddenly flicked her right arm across her chest and a playing card slid out of the sleeve to rest comfortably in her grip. Mew widened his eyes and told himself "Focus!" as the gambler was prepared to unveil her newest trick.

She hovered the card near her face to taunt Mew with its supposed importance while hurtling her pool balls his way. Mew stuck to sliding around to evade until he can get more accustomed to his increased weight. But even then it was like his feet were anchors scraping up against solid concrete.

The pool balls clanked harmlessly off the ground then rebounded straight back to their owner to try again. Neptune pivoted her broom stick towards Mew's direction then narrowed her eyes upon him.

With a flick of the wrist her card zoomed in-between in pool balls and wound up almost scraping against Mew's left shoulder. He didn't even feel it, much to his surprise.

"_Ok, can safely cross out 'Razor Cards' as a threat..." _But by the time he processed that and looked back up, Neptune was gone.

"Huh?" Mew's eyes perked up as he sensed her presence behind him and glanced over his shoulder.

"Too late~" Neptune teased as she swung both her feet into Mew's back, supported by her pool stick acting as a pole.

Her pool balls followed suit by striking Mew a few times across the back of his body, then bundling up for one mighty strike to knock him flat on his face.

Mew put his hands down at the last second and struggled to flip up into a handstand, which he used to turn back around and flip onto his feet. He bounced around in place and watched Neptune float back up on her broomstick.

"_So she used the card to teleport..." _Mew smiled. It was a fun little trick.

Neptune smiled back then waved her hand out to send her pool balls back at Mew. He planted his feet in the ground and swung his hands out, catching one of them in each hand. Their force threw his arms back, but he fought against their push to thrust them out and punch at the other balls hurtled his way.

Neptune drew another card in the interim and laced it with a kiss. She then tossed it out and snapped her fingers, forcing the pool balls back to her side. Mew felt he was wise to Neptune's trick and leaped to the left whilst turning around. Just as he suspected, the card stopped behind where he stood and enlarged to roughly Neptune's size. The card was a "Jack of Spades" depicting Neptune holding her pool stick like a jousting spear.

"_...Wait a second." _

The card glowed and Neptune herself went charging out towards Mew enveloped in a sharp cone of lavender energy. Mew grit his teeth and cupped his hands around his stomach to grab onto the tip of Neptune's stick the moment she got in close.

The energy dispersed and her pool balls took the reins on attacking Mew in her place. Mew bit his teeth down and figured "Screw it!" on letting his skin get bruised if it meant he finally had his opponent at his mercy. But the thing about fighting a magician is that they are masters of deception. And perhaps the greatest deception Neptune had pulled on Mew is making him forget that her pool stick also doubled as a wand.

She smiled and waved one hand up as the other gripped the pool stick wand and infused it with magic. Mew widened his eyes then swerved his body out of the way before he was blasted by twinkling energy.

He then planted his feet on the ground and swung his fist out, punching a huge bullet of fire towards his foe. He swung his head up with a smile to see the result, only to find that fireball flying back at him. He didn't have to avoid it since, y'know, Elemental Overlord and all that, but as the embers flickered out of sight he stood there looking dazed and confused.

Neptune floated back up in the air on her broom/poolstick/wand and laid a pointer finger up against her cheek, her pool balls dangling around almost like they were laughing.

"A valiant effort, but your gamble didn't pay off."

Mew thought about it for a moment and said during a long sigh, "Lemme guess, that has to do with your Drive?"

"Heehee," Neptune giggled with the tone of a child, "My Deflection Drive, to be precise."

Mew grumbled internally at how, _once again_, his opponent had to be loose-lipped about their powers, even if he HAD already pieced it together. Though Neptune did offer some condolence to the boy in exchange for spilling the beans.

"Don't feel too bad about it. I would have set up that kind of barrier even if that wasn't my Drive."

Mew raised his head and his eyes were in an unamused slump, _"Shoot, and here I was banking on my projectiles to make up for all this extra weight."_

As the gambler teased him with a wink Mew just nudged his head left and thought, _"Well I guess when push comes to shove...!"_

He dug his feet into the ground and suddenly leaped straight towards Neptune with his hands clenched together above his head and his teeth bit down in excitement, "Make do with what you got!"

Neptune whisked her right hand before her face and one of her pool balls centered itself near her chest, expanding to creating a barrier around her entire body and broomstick. When Mew's fists came down she went to the ground, where her barrier rebounded her back into the air even with Mew's line of sight.

The barrier dispersed and Mew clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. He landed on the ground, the intense fighting force of gravity keeping him from daring to stay in the air. His efforts seemed fruitless until he noticed that Neptune had to sacrifice that pool ball in order to protect herself.

Neptune brushed the back of her hair up and said, "Again, a valiant effort, but I wasn't going to take any chances. After all, you **did **beat my dear sister."

"Can't take a hit, can ya?" Mew said in the face of her seemingly endless means of protecting herself.

"I think that puts us on even footing," Neptune remarked, "For while your power may be mystical in nature, your body is just as vulnerable to magic as anyone else."

It wasn't some blind bluff. The proof lied in the burden of Mew's extra weight. But if there was one thing Mew felt confident he held over Neptune, and that was his speed.

"That may be true, but I'll still beat you in the blink of an eye!" He proclaimed while squeezing a fist up near his face.

Neptune leaned in a little, paddled her feet in the air, and met his boast with a dainty smile, "Ladies don't appreciate a man who finishes quickly. Why don't you draw this out a little?"

Neptune swung her right hand out and the tip of her broomstick broke off and flew into her hand, which she then whisked around towards Mew while telling him to "Make the good times last?"

With a graceful flick of the wrist her magic formed the outline of four circles around Mew. Mew tried to take a step forward but all four circles lit up and shot pillars of green energy skyward. He edged back to the center and kept his eye on Neptune as her wand reattached to the broom and she flicked the back of her fingers towards him.

"Watch carefully now~" Was her only hint.

Mew's eyes darted around to the four circles, which upon closer inspection resembled a four-leaf clover. The "leaf" to his left, right, and front blinked briefly with light.

"_Is there any order to this or...?" _The circles exploded with energy like before but this time the points he saw blink converged towards the center. His instincts kicked in and he leaped back, landing safely upon the dormant circle. He looked down, let out a sigh of relief, then watched the lightshow as the converging lights formed a titanic pillar that spread out upon hitting the ceiling.

"_Ok. Only one of these isn't a threat..." _When the energy faded Mew quickly leaped back into the center, _"Good to know." _

He blinked and the next thing he knew Neptune's pool balls were flying at his face. He threw his hands up to block them but in doing so swung his eyes away from the left and front "leafs". He saw the right and back ones light up and hastily tried to deduce which other one was safe.

"_Left front left front left front!" _His eyes darted between them until he locked onto the left one and leaped towards it. And as luck would have it, he was correct, and the energy swung on by him unharmed.

Neptune clapped her hands as Mew returned to the center. A bit of praise to dull the savagery of her pool balls striking him during her game. Mew kept using his arms to fend them off. Only now was he realizing that the added weight meant the extra work he put into moving himself made his muscles weaker to any of Neptune's attacks.

_Got to grin and bear it. _Mew said while gritting his teeth and concentrating most of his attention onto the four circles. He leaped to the right, then the left again, and towards the back. He prided himself as being a bit of a trickster, but now that he's the one being tricked on it he did find it to be a little funny.

_There has to be a way out of this game... _And the answer was staring him down right in the face. As he leaped left again he didn't see the energy as pillars of annihilation but rather as geysers. He grinned all to himself and then jumped back to the center. He had to go to the front once for safety but upon leaping back he waited for the front circle to activate again.

The moment he saw the glint he drew his sword and laid it flat atop the circle. He then made one short hop onto the blade and the energy launched both of them straight up high. Mew hopped right off the blade and combined his newfound weight with gravity to go plummeting straight towards Neptune.

She threw up another one of her barriers and Mew's punch barreled down at her with the force of a cannonball launched at mach speed. She went bouncing off the ground, up into the ceiling, then slowly hovered back to the floor. All Mew managed was a small crack in the barrier as it parted.

I'm not done yet! He proclaimed as threw his blistered knuckles to his hip and swung his free hand behind him. His sword flew down from being pinned to the ceiling and he leaped up to meet it. He grabbed it in one hand and dove at Neptune with the tip of his blade at the lead.

Neptune conjured up another barrier the second before impact and was dragged to the edge of the arena. Mew held the tip of his blade against her barrier and dropped to the ground. When her defenses were down she leaned back against the wall while on her broomstick and raised one of her feet to the tip of Mew's blade.

She gave it a light tap and said, 滴mmm, mayhaps I should've increased the weight of this sword.

She leaned her head back and bit her lower lip, remarking in a tender, vulnerable voice, 釘ut its already so..._thick_. Such a hassle for a frail little woman like me~

Mew squeezed his eyes shut and thought, _展__-Why are half the Planetary Aurians super horny? _

Though in Neptune's case, it _may _have just been an instance of psychological warfare, as she quickly took advantage of Mew's annoyance to throw a card straight up out of her sleeve. She winked as she warped away and stuck her feet to the wall upon re-emerging.

Mew backed away with a couple hops to get a better view of what his foe was plotting. She held her broomstick like a pool stick again and lined up her remaining balls on the tip. They got supercharged and looked like miniature bombs, though Mew had the sense that they weren't going to explode on impact.

Neptune pointed all the balls and Mew and let them loose with a gentle thrust. Mew hopped back and grit his teeth as the balls collided with the ground and started bouncing around all over the place. Even with how expansive the arena was the balls rebounded back to him in a couple of seconds.

Mew dispelled his sword and spun around, throwing his weight into his fists to punch the balls away and disrupt their pattern or, if possible, slow them down. Speeding balls and the streaking lights in their wake would be the least of his concerns.

Neptune pulled out three white and black dice between her fingers and with a gentle infusion of magic rolled them at the ground. They grew to be her size and landed on a set of fours.

The dots atop them glowed and Neptune raised her hand as she floated around on her broomstick. The ceiling lit up and bolts of magical energy dropped around Mew's location. There was twelve of them in total, and they were strong enough to leave damaging ripples on the ground.

Mew evaded them all but the pool balls had their way with him for a few moments. He took a hard hit to the knee and swore he heard it crack. He felt ready to bend down but knew it'd make it harder to keep an eye on the dice.

Neptune rolled them again and they landed on a three, five, and two. Ten lasers rained down this go-around. They seemed to be weaker, but not any less dangerous.

_Higher rolls mean stronger lasers...God help me if it lands on a 18! _Mew was starting to get annoyed by all the balls bouncing around and held his hand out to snag one of them up.

His arm almost tore off the socket but he held on for dear life and spun around. He gripped the ball's fighting spirit tight between his fingers and wound up a pitch by filling it with electricity.

Here ya...GO! Mew threw the ball with all his might and it went straight for its owner as quick as lightning.

Neptune, however, smiled and watched as her ball deflected off her aura and hovered out of the way. Mew smirked, snapped his fingers out, and the electricity discharged off the ball into a seizure-inducing blast.

Neptune got knocked off her broomstick and into the wall. She bounced off it and managed to call her broom to catch her. Mew dashed in for a follow-up attack but she quickly called her pool balls back and used one to shield herself.

Hmmm, I guess that was a little silly of me... Neptune giggled as her barrier peeled off and she leaned comfortably on her broomstick.

Mew scoffed then backed off, his opportunity to end this lost. Neptune then snapped her wand off the tip of the stick and waved it around above her head.

I think its time I...put the odds back in my favor. With a heavenly ding from her wand she was shoved away from the wall by the appearance of a large golden slot machine.

She already had it set to spin and placed her wand back onto the stick. She then kicked back and sang a little jingle at Mew, 展heel of fortune turn turn turn, what is the fate that you shall earn?

Nothing good, that's for sure! Mew cracked his knuckles and went to shut her slot machine down permanently. But with a flick of her wrist the three dice she laid went up in his path.

Mew drew his sword and attacked one of the dice. It flew over Neptune's head and she ducked under it, letting it fall like a leaf to her left. She waggled her finger up as it landed on a six, and the two other dice gyrated to change from a pair of 1s to a pair of 6s.

If you want to play the game, then you must abide by the rules~

Ah... Mew heard booming thunder and looked up, his face turning pale as the whole ceiling lit up, 鼎rap!

All eighteen magic bolts came down so thick and condensed that it may as well been one big bolt. Mew drew his sword up as a makeshift umbrella. But having to balance that weight on top of his own just brought him to his knees and left him vulnerable to the shockwaves of the remainder of the bolts.

The magical energies remained as ripples on his skin as they subsided. Mew lifted his head right up and watched as Neptune's slots locked onto three cherries in a row. He wasn't the least bit surprised that it'd line up right away.

_Now what's it going to do...? _He worried as he slowly stood back up.

Suddenly, a pair of cherries poofed in front of her mouth. She smiled, snatched them up in her lips, and started chewing. Mew stood there hastily blinking his eyelids, wondering when the other shoe would drop on this.

Nothing like a refreshing treat in the middle of battle. Neptune creased out a smile and what little damage Mew got on her body was wiped clean, to his annoyance.

She then poked the stem of the cherries out on the tip of her tongue. They were tied up in this nice little knot that she dangled in the air before spitting it out. Mew closed his eyes, tapped one foot on the ground, and waited for the slots to start up again.

O-Okay then... Confused, he swung his right arm out and rushed at Neptune once more. Her dice couldn't save her this time, forcing her to drop one of her barriers.

Gotcha! Mew planted his hand on the barrier instead of punching it then vaulted right over, slam dunking her into the ground. He then drew his sword and slashed the slot machine down the middle on his way to the ground.

The moment he landed he leaped back a few times and watched as the slots lined up the fabled Lucky 7. Neptune's barrier slid off and she waggled her finger out again to say, 泥id you not learn your lesson the first time?

Mew cracked a grin and raised a brow coyly, 展hat can I say? I'm a slow learner!

Cause the fact of the matter was that dealing with the slot machine's strongest attack was worth it if it meant getting it out of the way. Neptune shrugged and then snapped her fingers up. The top of the slot machine opened up and out came dozens of giant dice consumed with magical energy. They dropped down like meteorites, twinkling like gemstones.

As pretty as they were their impacts would surely be nasty. Mew took to the skies even under the strain of gravity and the dice created decent sized explosions on the ground. In their great numbers they were as big a threat as the strongest magic bolts from before.

But they also offered a benefit that Neptune possibly couldn't have foreseen. Mew lined himself up with one of the dice and flew in, delivering a swift, booming kick to its side. The dice flew straight at Neptune and she protected herself with one of her few remaining barriers.

Mew then whipped his right hand out and shot a vine from his wrist while exclaiming, 敵ET OVER HERE!

The vine wrapped around her barrier and she was pulled right in to Mew. As the barrier dispersed Mew grabbed her by the collar of her suit and dropped to the ground. By this point the dice meteors had ran their course.

Got you this time. Mew claimed as he wound back his right fist to deliver the final blow.

Hmhmhm! Neptune's chuckling held him back for a moment and she briefly flashed a grin his way.

A little bondage goes a long way, She slowly raised her empty hands up and remarked, 鄭 strap of leather or two around the wrists, maybe a couple more on the ankles for good measure? Surely that sounds like a fun time, no?

The playful wording couldn't distract Mew from the obvious in that her broomstick was suddenly nowhere to be found. That was because, from the corner of his eye, he watched as the wand quickly etched a six-pointed star with Mew in the very center.

He turned and the moment he blinked Neptune had a card in her hand, which she flicked safely behind her body. She waved that same hand to go 典a-ta and then warped out of Mew's grip with surprising ease. Mew was about ready to pursue when the energies from the seal collapsed upon his location, sealing him up in a large hexagonal crystal.

_Shoot...! _He immediately threw a punch at the barrier but it bounced right off it.

Neptune taunted him from the outside just by floating on her broom then threw her right hand out, proclaiming so he could hear her, 的ts been fun love, but it seems your luck has run dry! And your passion...is but a droplet to my tide!

Exactly one-hundred giant darts, each sharp enough to spear into an asteroid, surrounded Mew's prison from afar, lifted by the glow of the magic seal. Neptune raised her hand up high and exclaimed, 鏑et this be your curtain call! Maiden's Bullseye!

_A few moments ago..._

Kairi widened her eyes as Mew appeared to be in an inescapable predicament. The crowd was roaring louder than ever, drowning out everything she could hear save for Priscilla breathing down her neck. The half-dragon scoffed and murmured, 鄭nd here I thought he'd put up more of a fight...

Kairi wondered if something was holding Mew back. This didn't seem like the kind of problem he'd have trouble solving. She saw him beat back Jupiter's strength, triumph over Saturn's resolve, and even best Gabriel's dedication. A single barrier shouldn't be enough to defeat him.

She looked to the crowd and wondered if seeing and hearing all these people stand against him was the cause. The longer she looked at them the more she saw these miscreants as her fellow Aurians, and her imagination caused them to turn and start laughing and taunting at her.

A bitter cold crept up in her heart as she closed her eyes and dispelled the bad thoughts. Priscilla caught wind of her movements and tickled the sides of her neck with her claws while reminding her, 泥on't try anything funny. There's nothing you can do to help him now.

She was just as much a prison to Priscilla as he was a prisoner to Neptune. Was this really the end of the road for him? For her? After all that work she put into training? After all that time he bothered to put towards helping her out?

She didn't know why this bothered her so much. But one thing was for sure. She couldn't let this be the end of it, not when she was literally two steps away from Gravitus...

Priscilla had her in a bind, but from what Kairi could feel she wasn't one-hundred percent in control as she thought she was. There was little time for her to move, and even littler to act. Kairi opened her right hand and concentrated on summoning her staff.

Priscilla looked down for just a second and that was the opening Kairi needed to take her staff and jab the bottom of it into the half-dragon's gut. The air in Priscilla's lungs checked out through her mouth and upon turning around Kairi smacked Priscilla in the face and knocked her onto her back.

All this without the claws even itching her neck. Kairi panted heavily and pushed her staff into Priscilla's face to hold her down.

Y-You're wrong. I'm not as worthless as you think I am! She proclaimed over her fallen foe.

Priscilla merely closed her eyes and responded in her more casual tone of voice, 的ndeed you are not. You managed to get the jump on me when I least expected it.

Priscilla tried to rise but Kairi held her down by the chin with all her strength. Yet the half-dragon snatched the bottom of her staff in one hand and pushed it back, looking none the weary for trying. When Priscilla stood up she brushed off some dust on her suit and remarked, 的f I attempted to reclaim the advantage now our patrons would get caught up in the mix.

She then brushed her claws out a couple times and said, 鉄o go...If you truly think you can still make a difference.

Kairi widened her eyes then turned around and went for the window. With all the time she had to spare she looked deep inside of herself and screamed at the top of her lungs, 泥ON'T GIVE UP! MEW!

Back at ground level Mew's eyes perked up and he looked towards the stands. All the aliens were having a rip-roaring good time but he swore he heard a noise different from the rest. It wasn't much but that little bit of encouragement got him smiling.

He swung his arms out, squeezed his fists against the weight of his body, and exclaimed to Neptune as the darts looked poised to fire, 的f your passion's a tide then it implies you've got a limit! But me? I'm always breaking through them!

The darts came flying all at once and Mew punched his way around the entire barrier. He spun around and the sheer adrenaline blinded him to what was going on. He could feel the tip of every dart against his knuckles the moment it punctured the barrier. Somehow, he held off every single dart in the span of a couple seconds.

It was tiring. Exhausting. Yet rewarding at the same time. As he caught his breath the barrier around him cracked and left Neptune wide-eyed. He then grinned and, with one straight-forward movement, broke out of the barrier and threw a punch into Neptune's gut.

She was blown right off her broomstick and slammed into the back wall. Her broomstick dropped to the ground and Mew wobbled upright, swinging one fist at Neptune while weakly yelling at her, 鉄-Stay down!

A moment later a glint of light appeared around his body and shattered off, and he comparatively felt light as a feather.

Whew... He sighed. He looked up to the audience and after some silence they got in a rather nasty uproar. He couldn't blame them. If they didn't hate the Elemental Overlord enough already him robbing them of all their money didn't help.

But he just put his hands behind his head, whistling innocently to himself and then chuckled, 笛ust goes to show why you don't go gamblin' blind.

The rancorous noise immediately silenced as Neptune raised her hand to the ground and got on her feet. After brushing her suit clean she called her pool stick back to her hand, where it shrunk down to the size of a toothpick and fit gently into her chest pocket.

She raised her head and announced, 典he match is over! The victor, it seems, is our guest.

She gestured her hand from her chest towards Mew. He just stood there and with a big grin was ready to accept the inevitable applause. But the aliens just silently turned their heads and dragged their asses out of the stands, a couple of them throwing their hands up as if to say 典o hell with this

Mew dropped his hands and head and sighed. 鉄omeday, I'll be famous... He lamented.

Neptune trotted up to him while adjusting her cuffs, which seemed to have gotten scuffed up in the battle.

On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd wager that was a 9. Neptune stood in front of Mew and he tilted his head aside.

...Fooooor?

Oh, I'll leave that to your imagination, Neptune turned aside and gave him a wink, 典hough I _imagine_ it won't be that hard.

Mew blinked a few times then rolled his shoulders as Neptune turned to the entrance to the arena and remarked, 展ell well, how **am **I going to manage all these winnings?

Mew watched as a house sized pile of treasure was wheelbarrow'd in by Priscilla, containing gold and gemstones from all across the known universe. Mew thanked GOD that there were no dollar bills among them. Priscilla dumped it all onto the ground in front of Neptune and Mew put his hands to his ears to block the noise out.

_Holy SHIT how much treasure is that?! _He shouldn't have been too surprised cause of how many aliens seemed to bet on the match, but...Even still.

Priscilla laid the wheelbarrow down and clapped her hands clean. She then nodded at her loving wife and remarked, 典his is the first of ten loads Belle. Should I bring out the rest or...?

No no, this is fine for now, Neptune had a rather shaky grin as she wagged her hand down to curb her wife's enthusiasm, 的t'll take me a week just to sort through this pile...

Man, whoever won the bet is set for life. Mew chuckled, exasperated by the staggering amount of gold there was.

Priscilla jumped on top of the pile and laid herself out comfortably like it was her throne. She tilted her head and a smug huff of smoke from her nostrils was enough to tell Mew all he needed to know.

YOU betted on me?! Mew said with his finger gestured at the half-dragon. Neptune then took his finger and gently lowered it to her face.

Actually, **I **did. She said as if that made Mew's estimate any less surprising.

H-Huh? Mew didn't know much about gambling but he did know one thing, 的sn't that...illegal?

Neptune closed her eyes and chuckled. Mew then got all up in arms about her behavior and exclaimed in her face, 滴ey hey hey wait a second! Don't tell me you threw our match!

Hahaha silly child, Neptune tilted her head over her shoulder and brushed the back of her hand against her hair to move it aside, 的 fought with every fiber of my being.

She then closed her eyes and remarked, 典hink of it like this. If I win, then it helps keep my business prosperous. Aliens will flock in droves for the chance to meet the lady who bested the legendary Elemental Overlord. But if I lose? Then I still get away with all those eager beavers' earnings.

Mew put a hand on his chin and muttered, 鉄o either way you win.

_Now_ you get how I play. Neptune said with a soft, delighted chuckle as she turned to her 努ell-earned winnings.

Mew crossed his arms under his chest and grumbled somewhat bitterly, 的...don't know how I feel about that.

Then should I return this money to those warmongering aliens? Neptune's tone turned a tad melancholic.

Huh? Mew murmured.

What sounds like a better use for all this money? Pleasure? Or conquest? Neptune closed her eyes and in her manner of speaking told Mew in a blunt tone of voice, 釘ecause if I give all this gold and jewels back, they'll only use it for the latter.

Mew closed his eyes and tried to think about things from Neptune's perspective. And that was when he realized, 鉄o the reason you let all these bad aliens in...

Oh don't get the wrong idea. I am no saint, Neptune picked up a bumpy piece of gold and sniffed it until the scent made her moan, 展e **looooove** money...

After she passed the gold off for Priscilla to indulge in her own weird sniffing fetish, Neptune rested her hand towards Mew's direction and told him, 釘ut...might as well use that greed for some good, no?

Mew softened his gaze towards the gambler and with half a smile shrugged his shoulders and remarked, 的 guess I _was_ a little quick to judge.

A feeling that's going all around today. Priscilla remarked as she raised a silver goblet filled with jeweled necklaces.

Mew had a slight laugh at that. The sound of footsteps then turned him left and he saw Kairi dragging her feet back into the room. She looked exhausted and was sweating a bit.

I...had to wade through...so many angry aliens! She stopped a few feet away from Mew and looked up to see him grinning from cheek-to-cheek. She glared at him until he said something in return.

Oh there you are! Where have you been?

Kairi widened her eyes then gawked out 的 was...! followed by jabbing at the stands and babbling out, 鄭nd you...!

But she didn't make a complete sentence before throwing her fists down and with a beet red face exclaimed, 填uugh! You're such an asshole idiot sometimes!

A combination of insults was at least a little new, he'd give her that. She then puffed her cheeks and put her arms behind her back. She threw a narrow glare at Priscilla and Neptune indulging themselves in gold then grumbled 添ou won, so can we go now? to Mew.

Yeah. Something tells me we're just ruining the mood for the ol' love birds. Mew's hand was then snatched up in Neptune's grasp and she planted a stamp firmly on the back of his hand.

Indeed. Your VIP time has expired, She lifted the stamp, a pair of dice that looked oddly suggestive, and she then slid behind Mew and gently pushed him at the rear, 鉄o just take the train back down and perhaps we'll meet again when you're old enough to gamble.

Neptune leaned past Mew and winked Kairi's way, 徹r maybe a little sooner...If the little bud ever feels like blossoming into a flower.

Kairi leaned back, clenched her hands up near her chest, then turned away and remarked, 哲-Not on your life!

She then started to storm off and Mew had no choice but to follow. He waved goodbye to his hosts and slipped out of sight down the hall.

When they were gone Priscilla leaned back into the treasure pile and chuckled at her wife, _Subtle_ as always, aren't you dear?

Neptune turned and said with a small smile, 的 wouldn't have stolen the dragon's heart if I was anything but...

Hmmm... Priscilla daintily opened her eyes and puffed smoke through her nostrils, 擢unny, that's not how **I** remember the story going.

Oh? Neptune perked her brows up and held her arms out like starting a hug, 典hen perhaps you'd like to jog my memory?

A scaly lizard tail lashed out from Priscilla's behind and wrapped around Neptune's waist, slowly pulling her in closer. In the meantime the half-dragon started to unbutton her suit and purr.

Come closer. Do you dare brave the dragon's den?

Neptune looked as calm as ever as she started to undo her tie, her passionate gaze locked onto Priscilla's jeweled irises. Wrapped in her ever-loving grip, Neptune was prepared to dive face first into the half-dragon's bare bosom...

Oh I almost forgot! Mew suddenly yelled from afar, his voice shattering the tender mood like a pane of glass, 添our sister said she'd be coming to visit today!

He stood there, ignorant to what he had done, and then slid out of sight like he was never there at all. Priscilla's face slumped and her tail uncoiled off of Neptune.

The mood's ruined... She grumbled with a feral hiss.

Neptune licked her lips with the tip of her tongue and wiggled her fingers up at her face towards her wife, 鉄peak for yourself dear.

She then dove right in and buried the two's passionate embrace under a landslide of gold and jewels. What would unfold was their little secret, but Mew and Kairi would be left hearing the beginning of their pleasurable affairs.

**Ooooooooooooo!**

The noise caused Kairi to swing her head back before entering the train and wonder, 的-Is that a ghost?

Mew shook his head and remarked, 的f you **really** need to know just ask your m-

He paused, blinked, shook his head, and then gently pushed Kairi into the bullet train while telling her, 徹-On second thought...never mind.

What? What is it? What what WHAT?! She'd beg for the answers but they would never come...

_Next Time: The Missing Link_


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Voice of the People**

With visions of lavish luxury now a memory of the past, Mew and Kairi exited their way out of the Pyramid as they tended to this time of day. The descent grew longer, but at the same time easier. Probably helped Mew that he wasn't being worn down by Kairi glaring into his back with animosity.

In fact the only sounds she made on the way out came from her stomach. She had a light breakfast after all. Once they were out in Sancturia, Kairi herself spoke up.

"Ugh, getting tired of my stomach complaining," She growled through clenched teeth. Mew looked at her and she said, "I-I'm going to grab lunch somewhere."

"Alright, I'll meet you back at the house." Mew replied with a smile. Kairi fluttered her eyelashes then puckered her lips.

"I said...I'm going to grab lunch." She forced through them.

"Yeah?" Mew rolled his eyes and laughed, "I'm not deaf."

"But you're clueless..." She grumbled under her breath before she threw her head back and proclaimed in a huff, "Fine! I'll see you back home..."

She stormed off and Mew didn't know why she was so upset this time. His immediate thought was, "Guess the casino was a bit much for her."

He felt confident that she'd be fine on her own. He put his hands behind his head and whistled his way back to the Aurora household. His body was a little stiff from Neptune's magic but hey! At least its better than dragging a broken arm around.

Gabriel wasn't watching the house when he arrived. Mew stood at the door and was half worried as he thought, _"Guess he went on a lunch break too?" _

He slowly pushed open the cloth door and went inside. Auris was sitting on the farthest couch, glugging down a pot of coffee like a whale downs krill.

The last ounce of black caffeinated liquid went down as he entered and stared utterly baffled at her face. She slammed the pot smack dab in the center of the table and remarked in her hypnotic voice, "Nothing like a pot of espresso to start the afternoon."

She then looked at Mew, smiled, and said, "Oh I didn't see you come in."

"Ha. Good joke." Mew coughed up a chuckle and made his way to the other couch.

"Guess its time for another 'counseling' session, huh?" He said while putting quotation marks in the air.

As he plopped down on the center cushion Auris leaned forward and laid her clenched together hands under her chin, "What bothers you today? Tell Mama Auris."

The playful banter was a little condescending coming from her, especially now. Mew leaned out, waved a hand beside his chest and immediately told her off, "When were you planning on telling me that Gravitus brought peace to hundreds of worlds?"

"Well, I wasn't planning on stealing the spotlight from our lucky little lesbian loving friend..."

"Auris come on..." Mew pleaded rather tiredly, "Didn't we go over this enough yesterday?"

Auris perked her head up and smiled, "Is it really that you dislike me hiding that from you? Or rather...that you despise what the truth implies?"

Mew paused and rested back into the couch. With a quick scoff he pinched the space between his eyes and grumbled, "A little bit of both?"

He shook his head and swung his body out arms and all to declare, "What am I supposed to believe? None of the accounts on Gravitus make any damn sense! He can't be a peacekeeper **and** a tyrant!"

"Now, you understand." Auris replied softly.

"Pardon moi?" Mew leaned his head in and widened one eye open.

Auris gently waved her right hand out then curled all but her pointer finger in, "Do you see now how little good it would have done to tell you everything I know about Gravitus? It would've painted a picture in your head that would contradict the accounts of the people you fought along the way."

She laid her hand down on her lap and murmured, "Gabriel and I are biased against Gravitus. The Planetary Aurians see what he wants them to see. Ergo, the only one who can tell the truth is..."

"The man himself." Mew interrupted.

Auris nodded, for what little comfort the confirmation provided.

"But if Neptune's telling the truth..."

"She bluffs, never lies," Auris addressed swiftly, "And yes. You're thinking 'What am I supposed to do about a tyrant who holds two-hundred planets hostage under the threat of peace?'"

"...Well that's a lot wordier than I was thinking," Mew whispered, only to raise his voice and ask, "So? Do you have any advice? Cause this just got a HELL of a lot bigger than what I signed up for!"

"Is it really though?" Auris said with a smile, "I told you from the start that if Gravitus gets the Neo Drive, it'll be a danger to the whole universe."

Mew thought back and did vaguely recall her saying that. He rubbed the back of his head and sighed, "Its...been a long couple of days for me."

"Well put what you learned of those other planets aside. That is not your fight."

"Like hell it isn't!" Mew got up and slammed his hands on the table and stared straight into Auris' eyes. She looked shocked, but not scared.

"When you say stuff like that, I know I made the right decision choosing you."

Mew slowly edged back onto the couch and bit his lower lip. Auris leaned and put her hands on his before they could retreat. She then looked him in the eyes and said, "Leave those planets to Saturn and her friends. Right now, your opponent is Gravitus."

She patted his hands and leaned right back into the couch, her eyes now closed, "Though as it stands now...Your chance of victory is 25%."

"Tw-Twenty-five?" Mew got half a crooked smile and looked down, "After all that?"

Auris took in a deep breath, which was more exertion than Mew had heard her take. So of course he shot his head back up and kept his eyes on what she was about to do.

"But...there's something I can say now that you got this far. You can't learn this from anyone else, especially not Gravitus."

"I told you that Gravitus used to be called Damascus. That was not his birth name, but his given name."

"He was a servant of the Ten Sages." Mew's remark earned him a rare glimpse of Auris being surprised. But then she smiled and regained full control over the conversation.

"Oh? I didn't take you for the nostalgic type...'D.'"

The demon growled in Mew's head as she continued, "A servant, or as some would say a slave. My father tasked Damascus with guarding the Neo Drive from those who'd try and take it. A simple enough job, and one that'd keep his power in check."

"But in the absence of growth Damascus felt a longing for a higher purpose. He believed himself destined for greater things and thus, when his chains were undone, it was no surprise that he'd ascend to the empty throne that awaited him."

"It wasn't enough though, was it?" Mew remarked.

"There are no peaks for people like him. He will climb the mountain until no one can look down on him again."

"Its all starting to make sense now, except..." Mew looked straight at Auris and asked, "How can he get the Neo Drive?"

"Hmm?" She hummed innocently, prodding him to say a little more.

"Gabriel made it sound like...Kairi is the key to it all?"

"She is," Auris stated plainly, "It is something Gravitus lacks...worthiness."

"Define...worthiness." Mew said, not to throw shade on Kairi, but rather that that word could mean anything.

"Lets just say the proof is closer to her than you think, and shall shine brightest when you least expect it."

"...I mean, if you don't actually know just say so." Mew grumbled really quietly.

Auris stood up and swerved towards the kitchen. On the way there she had one last thing to say, "Since you listened to my ramblings...Your odds of victory have risen to 35%. The rest...is up to you."

And then she was out, just like that. Vague answers, and an even vaguer glimmer of hope. Mew slowly let all that info settle in then cupped his hands under his chin.

"Boy do I wish it was as easy as 'here's the bad guy, go beat him up!'" Mew sighed out loud then fiddled with his fingers like he was playing a piano. He then clapped his hands, stood right up, and said, "Ok! Time to plan for Operation: Tyrant Exposure!"

He whisked his right hand and formed a whole notebook out of thin air, cover not included. He then fiddled around in the drawers for a pen and clicked the tip out over the front page.

"And to start things off..." Mew got a big grin, the biggest he ever had, "I think its time for the people to join the fight."

He headed for the front door only to find Kairi coming in holding a bag from a fast food place. The crappy parody name of the place went right over his head as he rushed out the door.

"Hey, where're you going?" She tried to ask.

"Need a walk! I'll be back in an hour!" He hoped his chipper tone would hold her back, despite such a lame excuse. Seeing as she went "Hey! HEY!" until he couldn't hear her no more...Mew knew he'd have to work fast.

He had a plan. Or at least, something resembling a plan. What he actually had was a notebook, a pen, and a set of particular questions in his head. All to perform his most dangerous task of all – a survey.

Once he got close to the middle of the city he decided to work his way out from there. He started with just some random passerby and walked up to them with a smile.

"Hey, can I get a moment of your time?" His approach worked like a charm. The person was amicable and didn't tell him to shoo right away.

"You doing a survey?" He asked, looking down at the notebook in Mew's hands.

"Yep! Extra credit assignment at summer school, y'know how it goes." Mew passed his task off with a shrug and a little white lie, "It won't even take a minute."

"Ha, that takes me back. Alright sure, ask away!"

Mew looked down at his papers, clicked the pen a few times then gave it a twirl, "I want to ask you a few questions about our leader Gravitus."

He had three major questions lined up and ready to go, and plenty of pages to fill with ink.

"First, why don't you tell me what you think of him?"

He sought out a large number of people across all of Sancturia. He felt he'd need at least a couple thousand answers to get a good enough general point of view of the man. The responses he got were...interesting to say the least.

"Gravitus? He's been our leader as long as I can remember. Never met the guy of course but...Its felt like he's always had our best interests in mind?"

"I saw him, once, when I was but a wee lass. He looked strong. Proud. But...also detached? Like, I saw him in front of me, but he felt so far away..."

"Yo Gravitus is COOL! His medical achievements saved my mom's life! Oh, you meant what I think of his personality? Uhhh...couldn't tell ya man. He's never come into town in my lifetime."

Men and women. Children and seniors. No type of person went ignored. Mew valued each of their opinions just the same. There couldn't be room for error.

"Next up, I want to know what you'd want Gravitus to do to improve Sancturia." To his surprise, the responses almost unanimously agreed.

"We got everything we need!"

"Good food, great medical benefits, plenty of employment! What else could we need?"

"Sancturia's supremo primo dude! Waaaay better livin' than that crappy Earth!"

The rest of the people just listed personal stuff they wanted or threw unneeded aggression at Kairi and Auris. Even so, he wrote those opinions down. Then came the third and final question...

"If Gravitus asked you to do a favor, even if its something you might not like, would you do it?" And that was when things got a little foggier.

"Umm..."

"I...guess? I mean its not like he'd ask us to die for him yeah?"

"I wouldn't mind! ...Wait when you say 'Might not like'...?"

Even going as fast as he could with no breaks and no detours, it took three hours for Mew to get a satisfying number of answers. By then the pages of his notebook were full save for one...And he had a particular subject in mind for the last questionnaire.

On the way back South Mew popped on by that statue of Gravitus marked up in Kairi's grafitti. No, he wasn't going to make the statue take a survey. Though when he looked at it he did have a peculiar question to ask it.

"Why are you here...?" He squinted his eyes and tapped the bottom of the pen against the statue. He then held the pen against it and the tiniest spark of electricity flowed along the pen onto the statue.

"Hmm..." Mew's lips creased out and with a heinous chuckle he remarked, "I'll get back to you later."

He then continued walking until he wound up back at South Sancturia Academy. There his luck proved its strongest, as his so-called "man of the hour" was just leaving through the front doors the moment he arrived.

"Yo! Bobby!" Mew proclaimed to the not-so noteworthy substitute teacher now dressed in a drab plaid shirt and shambled brown slacks.

He locked his hand around the front door and slowly turned his head back at Mew, who twirled his pen around then laid it behind his right ear. He threw his arms up like greeting an old friend for the first time in years and proclaimed, "Bobby! Mr. History himself! How's it going?!"

"Mew?" Bobby's quiet response was about the best Mew could get after that overwhelming greeting. He pulled his hand off the door then leaned back until Mew eased up a little.

When Mew's hands dropped they dropped _hard_ against his hips. He then clicked his tongue and swung his fingers up like guns to say in a sing-song voice, "Some-body once told me, a story you're gonna owe me! I ain't-"

"Would you cut it out?" Bobby whispered through his nervously clenched teeth, "Everyone's staring at us!"

Mew glanced back and at least two dozen pairs of eyes were locked on them. He sucked his lips in then turned around and chuckled, "Yeah point taken. This should just between the two of us."

Bobby exhaled with a hand pressed up to his chest then whispered, "You scared the crap outta me though. I already thought I was gonna die today..."

"The kids are that bad?" Mew sounded surprised.

"Why don't YOU try and rodeo in a bunch of hyperactive kids discovering their powers for the first time and see how you feel after a week?" Bobby grumbled the whole way through that.

Mew laid his hands on the back of his head and asked, "Soooo should I come back another time or...?"

"Nah forget it. I told you to come back in two days and I plan to keep good on my word." Bobby leaned his back against the door and tucked his hands in his messy pockets. He tilted his head down, his eyes locked on Mew's notebook.

"What's with the notes?"

"Oh these?" Mew slyly propped the book up, and wiggled it around to taunt the contents to Bobby's face as he asked, "Wanna take a peek?"

"Nah, just tell me what's in them."

Mew pouted then lowered the book back by his hip and shrugged his shoulders to call him a "Spoilsport."

"I just finished walking around Sancturia to take a survey on Gravitus."

"A survey?" Bobby looked utterly confused, "What's that about?"

Mew smirked and wiggled a finger around his head while imitating Saturn's tone of voice, "That's my little secret."

"Hrmmm..." Bobby was annoyed, but Mew recognized that curious glint in his eyes, "What were the results?"

"A lot of positive responses, very few negative ones...Buuuut there were a very high amount of neutral ones too."

Bobby closed his eyes and his shoulders slumped as he sighed out, "I see..."

"But enough about that! I-"

"There you are!"

Mew turned around and saw Kairi running right for him with her fists at her hips and her legs pounding the ground with the combined force of a herd of wild buffalo. Kairi stayed her rampage a few feet away and with a big bubbly pout threw a pointer finger up in his chin.

"What have you been doing?!" She accused.

Mew quickly tucked the notebook behind his back and put on his usual grin as he played around with her a bit, "Geez, have you been following me this whole time? You must really like me now!"

"Ugh!" Kairi's cheeks turned pink and she whipped her hand back down and planted a foot inches away from Mew's toes, "As if! Whenever you run off on your own it means trouble!"

Her eyes darted for his hip and the corner of the notebook that stood out like a sore thumb, "And what's that?"

Mew tucked the notebook in deeper and said, "Nooooooothing~"

Kairi wagged her left hand out and muttered, "Hand it over."

"Nuh uh, you have your own!"

Her eyes widened and she proclaimed, "H-H-How do you...?!"

This childish exchange appeared like it would have no end. But thankfully that's why someone as straightforward as Bobby exists.

"...Kairi?" With one word he shut the two up and put her eyes all on him. She leaned past Mew and looked at this ordinary man with a blanketed look of confusion plastered all over her face.

"Do I...know you?" She said as if the answer was on the tip of her tongue. Mew just scooted aside so he wouldn't be a roadblock to the two's supposed reunion.

Bobby pointed at his messy clothes with a rather awkward grin but a carefree laugh at his own expense, "I know I look like trash but come on, you don't recognize this face?"

He gestured to his shaggy beard and bright smile and the color in Kairi's eyes seemed to fade out for a moment. She then crossed her arms under her chest and stuttered, "W-Wow...You look like shit Bobby."

Mew could almost feel Bobby's smile shatter like glass as he physically recoiled from the comment. He stared straight at Kairi's face and told her, "Geez, when did you start swearing like a sailor?"

"Hmph, people change!" Kairi said while raising her head up high as if this was something to be proud of.

Bobby started rubbing the back of his head and looked to be having a hard time keeping his eyes focused on Kairi's face. In his distracted state of mind he muttered nervously, "N-No kidding...You look a lot older now. In fact, you remind me of..."

His voice trailed off into quietness and only Mew wound up hearing the second part of his sentence. Bobby ended off with a sigh then tried to sound a little more positive, "A-And it seems like you're staying healthy."

Kairi opened her eyes and leaned in with a big smirk on her face, "Oh yeah. I'm muuuuch stronger than the last time you saw me."

"_Hooo boy..." _Mew shut his eyes and felt that familiar sense of dread coming to a head in his mind.

"Last time I saw you was what? A year ago?" Bobby sounded rather nostalgic, but then his lips turned sour and he remarked, "...Though, word travels fast about what you're getting up to nowadays."

Kairi stood there in the same pose as Bobby listed off a few of her, as it sounded like, _lesser_ misdeeds, "Tagging public property with graffiti, skipping history classes, picking fights with students outside of school..."

Kairi rolled her eyes then stood up and proclaimed, "Ah who cares about all that! I bet you haven't heard the good news!"

"Good news?" Bobby sounded doubtful.

"Good news?" Mew mirroring that in a worrying tone got Kairi to glare at him for a bit.

"Well, thanks to this goofball..." She lazily waved a thumb his way, then proudly propped her fists up against her hips and proclaimed, "**I **am now capable of beating the legendary Planetary Aurians!"

Mew laid a hand on the right side of his face and moaned quietly, "Oh god this isn't what I wanted to happen..."

"The Planetary Aurians?" Bobby's tone of voice turned gravelly and harsh as he bit his teeth down and asked her, "Why the HELL are you fighting them?"

Kairi perked her eyes open and spat out before stating the obvious, "Uhhh, because we need to in order to get to Gravitus? Duh!"

With one word she managed to briefly redirect Bobby's ire towards Mew, who just threw up his hand in a shrug to try and save face. Then Bobby turned back to Kairi and Mew could see him squeeze his trembling fist by his hip.

"I knew it..." He whispered to himself.

"Maybe you've gotten tougher Kairi, but you can't go and fight Gravitus." Bobby stated firmly.

"What...what are you talking about?" Kairi's bravado was shaken but she still put up a haughty demeanor as she swung a hand down at Bobby and told him, "I'm not going to fight him. I'm going to **kill **him."

"Kill him? And what's that going to accomplish?" Bobby narrowed his eyes and his general attitude came across like storm clouds forming in the middle of a sunny day.

"Revenge," Kairi once again rolled her eyes and laughed at Bobby's face, "What else would it be?"

"Do you think revenge is something you deserve? If you think you can just waltz into his place and take his head...!"

As Bobby raised his voice, so too did Kairi, "When I'm through with him there'll be nothing LEFT of him!"

"He'll be just as merciless!"

"I don't care! That bastard deserves nothing less!"

"THROWING YOUR LIFE AWAY WON'T BRING SHINA BACK!" Bobby screamed until his face was purple and he had no breathe left to spare.

Mew felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach as the echoes of the boy's rage shook him at the knees. But Kairi was much worse off. The color, flushed from her skin. Her pupils, smaller than needles. And her attitude, diminished to a silent whimper.

She took a couple steps back then slowly turned her head towards Mew. He couldn't give her anything but a blank stare, the worst kind of "comfort" someone like her needed right now. She bit her teeth down, trying desperately to rekindle that last bit of bravado before it flickered out.

But she couldn't. She shook her head and stuttered "W-What are you looking at?!" to both him and Bobby, and then when neither answered she turned and ran. Mew could hear her crying for the few remaining seconds he saw her. A noise that'd quickly become dwarfed by the banging of flesh against metal behind him.

"DAMN IT!" Bobby yelled as he bruised his fist against the door and hung his bitter scowl out of Mew's sight.

He then swung his hand up and grabbed Mew by his shirt collar and, fueled by pure aggression, growled in Mew's face, "What the HELL were you thinking bringing her into the Pyramid?!"

"Its not like she gave me much of a choice..." Mew chuckled.

"Don't screw with me!" Bobby jiggled Mew's body and he threw his hands up and exclaimed, "I swear! I honestly didn't know!"

Bobby let go of Mew then turned around and slammed both his fists against the door. Mew brushed the wrinkles out of his shirt then heard Bobby struggling to compose himself. His fists slid down the door and he looked ready to drop to his knees.

"...Bobby, who is Shina?" Mew asked, although he felt that he had already a pretty good idea.

Bobby pulled himself back up and slowly turned his head to the left to answer, "She was Kairi's older sister...And my best friend."

With a long sigh he turned around to face Mew with a sorrowful glance and stern body. He held his right hand out and whispered, "I...I'm sorry for yelling at you. You...you couldn't have known..."

Mew stayed calm and waved a hand up by his face, stating with somewhat of a smile, "And I'm guessing this is what you wanted to talk about?"

"...Yeah. Yeah," Bobby nodded his head twice and tried to keep a stiff upper lip as he remarked, "I know its not my place, but...I think you deserve to know."

Mew crossed his arms under his chest and stood there in silence. Once Bobby caught his breath he leaned back against the door and put his hands in his pockets.

"Shina was two years older than Kairi and around the same age as me. I first met her when we were in Elementary School, and we remained friends all the way to High School. Heck we were so close that we...even had nicknames for each other."

"I swear there was no stopping Shina. When she wanted to do something she'd do it. When she was happy everyone around cheered up too. She was like...a rainbow on a cloudy day." Bobby closed his eyes and drifted off with a smile for a little bit.

"Heh, I bet you'd find this hard to believe but Kairi? She never used to be like this. Whenever I saw her around Shina that little tyke was gripping her big sister's leg and refused to let go."

Mew chuckled. He couldn't imagine the present Kairi ever doing that.

"Kairi loved Shina very much. And for Shina, Kairi was the most important person in the world to her. Heck, Shina was pretty beloved around all of Sancturia..."

Then the story came to a swift and sudden stop as Bobby pulled his head back and took in a deep breath. His melancholic vibes were not lost on Mew.

"...But then Shina just...vanished."

"Vanished?"

"Yep. Right around Kairi's fourteenth birthday Shina...disappeared from Sancturia entirely," Bobby scratched the side of his head and found himself strained to mention, "And a terrible rumor quickly spread that Shina decided to rebel against Gravitus and was killed in the process."

"The _rumor_ is that she was killed? So there was no body?" Mew was quick to deduce.

"Exactly!" Bobby snapped his fingers out and had a quick bit of pep in his step, "Plus...I don't think Shina would have rebelled. She would have stuck by her sister's side through thick and thin."

Mew crossed his arms back up and Bobby continued in his dour tone, "But everyone else in Sancturia either didn't believe that or chose not to say they did. After everything Shina did for them, those bastards...!"

Bobby grit his teeth, a floodgate against his growing anger. But the rage breached through and he swung his head out to yell, "They turned on her! Now you only bring up her name if you **want** to be ridiculed for 'siding with the traitor'..."

"Hrrmmm..." Mew growled to himself. That kind of behavior was utterly sickening and there was zero doubt in his mind now that Kairi had been getting hit with the worst of it.

"_But Bobby's attitude...Even I ain't stupid enough to not know what it means..." _

Mew looked at him and asked, "You loved Shina, didn't you?"

Bobby's tired body sunk as he smirked and hung his arms down. He shook his head and appeared to laugh at his misery.

"...I wish you never would've come here Mew. Everything you've done has reminded me that even two years later...I can't let go of the past." His cruel tone of voice was indicative of a lie to deflect what he really felt. Immediately after saying that he squeezed his eyes shut and muttered, "N-No...that's not it."

"I'm just pathetic..." He said to himself, "I couldn't save Shina. I can't save Kairi..."

He looked at Mew and finally the tears dripped from his eyes, "Tell me Mew...If-If I had confessed my love back then, do you think...Shina would still be around?"

Mew slowly shook his head and wasn't about to lie just to make Bobby feel better, "Sounds to me like her love for her sister would've triumphed in the end."

"...Yeah." Yet Bobby sounded almost...accepting of the fact.

He curled his hands into fists and beat one into Mew's chest as he got right into his face and told him, "You have to swear to me that no matter what, you won't let Kairi suffer the same fate as Shina."

"Don't worry about it. I'll handle Gravitus on my own." Mew said, firmly planting a hand on Bobby's wrist and pushing his fist away.

Bobby bit his teeth down and cursed out loud, "It sucks...! I want to wring that bastard's neck but can't even drag myself to his doorstep and yet you...You didn't even hesitate to say 'Yes'."

"...You think you're powerless just because you can't throw a punch at Gravitus' face?" Mew widened his eyes to glare deep into Bobby's eyes, "You believed in Shina when almost everyone else turned against her. Your body may be weak but your heart is strong!"

Mew then pulled out his notebook and took the pen to it. He wrote on it quick as lightning and Bobby didn't even have time ask what he was doing before the notebook was shoved into his chest.

Mew held it there and said firmly, "And there's still a chance for you to make a difference."

When Bobby moved to hold the book down Mew swung his arm up by his face and waved him goodbye as he turned away, "Anyways, later!"

"W-Wait!" Bobby swung the book up in one hand and proclaimed, "What am I supposed to do with this?!"

Mew turned back for a moment to tell him, "Well you were curious to see the answers yeah? Just thumb it over when you get a chance alright!"

And then Mew was out of there. Bobby blinked a few times then slowly lifted the book up to his face. The first page he saw was the last one Mew had to fill in, and upon reading it his eyes became as wide as quarters as he muttered in confusion, "W-What the heck...?"

Mew tucked his hands in his pockets and thought to himself, _"I need to find Kairi and have a talk with her. If I had to guess, she probably went back home already..."_

He paused for a moment and looked up at the sky. He put one hand over his eyes to shade them from the sun. With a smile he whispered, "Siblings huh?"

And then as he continued walking he continued whispering fondly to himself, "I wonder what Riku's up to these days..."

_Next Time: I am your..._


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Mirror, Mirror**

It was a long quiet walk back to the Aurora household. Mew spent that time thinking of what to say when he'd get there. He wasn't very good at serious talk, he knew and accepted that.

And everything Kairi had opened up to him, it was entirely by accident. He tried his best but she was a diary covered in pad locks. But now, having heard something he probably shouldn't have, he couldn't just laze around thinking about it. His heart told him to try and be an open ear, even if he'd mess it up.

Back at the house. Gabriel was still gone. He must have been busy with personal matters. It didn't matter. His priorities lied inside the house.

Mew pushed the door aside and Auris was waiting for him yet again by the stairs. Mew pointed up and she nodded her head. She then silently withdrew as though she was but a ghost.

Mew went to the stairs and took one step forward before sighing. Once he got to the top there'd be no turning back until he felt he said his piece.

"I'm really not ready for this..." Mew whispered with his left hand locked in a vice on the railing. He looked back expecting Auris to offer advice cause, y'know, she's Kairi's mother! But this was clearly meant to be a solo operation.

"I'm going in." Mew bucked up that little bit of determination he needed to finish the climb to the second floor. He'd been here once, the night before. There were four rooms. Three bedrooms, one bathroom at the end. Kairi's room was the middle one.

Even before he was at her door he heard a whimper that sounded like hiccups. Mew had only left her for twenty minutes but she was coming off as a person who had drained hours worth of tears from her eyes.

Painful memories were dredged up for her, and Bobby left little room for privacy. Again, Mew knew he couldn't take back what he heard, but he also couldn't let it go.

He gathered his thoughts and hoped they'd form a coherent idea eventually. Then, he raised his knuckles to the side of the door, and took the first step by knocking.

"G-Go away!" She yelled in a muffled voice. He head was under a pillow, and Mew could visualize pretty well that she held it down tight to better absorb her tears.

"You're going to suffocate if you keep that up." He successfully got the pillow off...by having her throw it out the door into his kneecaps.

"_...Good start."_ Mew picked up the pillow and turned to sit his back to the door. He fluffed the pillow under his arms and against his chest. He then let her get a few more tears out before saying anything else.

"I really think we need to talk." He really had nothing better to say than that.

"Go! Away!" She doubled down on her stance but for every bit her anger grew that cry for help fought even harder to be recognized.

There was no greater weakness for Mew than a cry for help. Then, the clouds in his head started to part, and his body firmed up like solidified iron.

"I don't think it'd be possible for me to leave," Mew cracked a mild joke that was mostly serious, "I mean it. We need to talk."

"...W-What is there to talk about? I'm...I'm fine." No, she was not.

"You can't run away, plug your ears, and hope the problem vanishes," Mew turned his head back and said, "Talking things out is the best form of medicine."

After a minute of silence Kairi replied, "You don't know the first thing about what I'm going through! You think you know everything, b-but you don't!"

Mew closed his eyes and replied, "You're right. I'm very stupid. I've never seen the inside of a classroom until this week, and everything I learned was beamed into my brain via a 32 inch screen."

"...But I don't know what it is. What...makes me the way I am. Whenever I look at someone and hear them speak, I can tell what kind of person they are. If they're good or bad. Sad or happy. And I can't ignore these feelings. I...**don't **want to ignore them."

There was some more silence before Kairi could snap at him bitterly, "S-So what?! You don't understand **my **pain! You don't even care that you don't have a family!"

That hurt. A **lot**. But that's the thing about grief. Sometimes it drives people to say things they don't mean. Thus Mew couldn't feel angry at her for long. Especially seeing as what she said was the perfect bridge for Mew to cross and meet her on.

There was a slight sorrow weighing on Mew's mind as he responded, "I do have a family."

"But...you said-"

"I said my parents were dead. Lost them when I was five-years old, so I barely remember them. Guess I just...didn't get a chance to form enough of a connection to care."

Kairi didn't reply. Mew took that as a good sign. He rolled his shoulders back and sighed. Then he laughed, his tone dry.

"Its...really complicated to explain but, I have a twin brother. His name's Riku. He's got the same powers I do, same hairstyle, same body..." Mew looked up at the sky, "I know this is going to sound crazy but...I only knew him for a day, but I miss him. Like, a lot."

"It was the first time I had someone who was just like me. But...he had a job to do and...I had to let him go. Nowadays I imagine he's out there doing Elemental Overlord stuff while I..." Mew lightly scratched the side of his face, bit his lip, then swung his hand away.

"My point is that if I feel like this after knowing family for a day...I can't even begin to imagine how it feels to have lost someone you knew all your life. Especially since, from what I heard, you were really close to her..."

Mew started to stand, the pillow at his hip and one hand rested on the door, "Nobody's alone in their suffering. But you also can't hold it in forever. And if you don't want to talk about it with me, then there's always Gabriel and your mom."

He patted the door twice then slid the pillow into the room and finished with a smile, "But if you do need me, I'll be here."

She wasn't going to say anything else so long as he stuck around. So, having done what he set out to do, he went back down the stairs.

There he found Auris waiting for him at the same spot as before. As he passed her his eyes looked to her face. She was abnormally calm as she smiled at him.

Mew didn't even consider that Kairi wasn't the only one affected by Shina's disappearance. He stopped and turned to Auris with a downtrodden expression as he began to say, "Auris I-"

"Stop," She put her hand up and closed her eyes, "I don't need your sympathy, nor do I deserve it."

"But-"

"Has that demon still left you believe that I called you here to act as my tool of vengeance?" She wasn't going to let him get out a single word edgewise.

She put her hand down and strolled over to the drawers. She opened the middle one and pulled out a framed picture that she kept close to her chest.

"You do everything you can to give them a happy life. But a mother's love isn't some invincible shield keeping their children safe. There comes a time when they have to be entrusted with their own futures."

When she closed her eyes a single tear was forced down her cheek and onto the picture, which she then put away. She held her hand upon the lip of the drawer and spoke, "I trusted my daughter with her choice knowing full well where it'd lead and who it'd hurt."

She leaned her head back to look at Mew and asked him with an empty gaze in her eyes, "How does your heart judge me, Mew? Am I good, or evil?"

She was a difficult person to judge. She intentionally shrouded herself in a veil of mystery, and only seemed to open up her true self on rare occasions. But right now when Mew looked into her eyes her tiredness towards it all after two-thousand years finally caught up with her, and she could no longer hold onto her facade of a smile.

Mew closed his eyes, propped one hand against his right pocket, then gestured the other out as he slanted his body and sighed, "I don't think you're a bad person Auris."

"Hmm..." She propped herself upright and hooked her pointer finger against her smiling lips, "I guess even your heart can be fooled sometimes."

Denial appeared to be genetic in the Aurora family. Though perhaps in Auris' case it was something a little more than that. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

"It has been so hard to love my children. They are living proof of my failures as a person..." Auris gently opened her eyes and put her hand upon her chest, "But having difficulty expressing love is not the same as embracing hate. I still brought my children into this world. I have raised them, fed them, and loved them as much as I can."

She then hung her head slightly and her hand curled up into a fist, "But even then I'm powerless to be their sunshine on a stormy day."

Mew crossed his arms under his chest and remarked, "...Which is why you called me here. You thought I could help Kairi where you couldn't."

"Not quite." Auris swiftly replied as her hand darted for her robe's right pocket and reached in to pull out a glass orb. It was lit up with a bright neon fog inside and contained nothing else.

"I called you here...Because **she **did." She then tossed the orb at Mew and he caught them in his cupped hands. He looked at it and wiggled it around as he would a magic 8-ball but got no response.

"...I-I'm sorry this is...?" Mew held the orb aloft and tilted his head in utter confusion.

"_...I-I'm sorry this is...?" _He heard the sound repeated in his mind and jolted back in shock.

"What?!" He blurted.

"_What?!" _His mind blurted back.

Then it all snapped together in his head, just like that. He slowly put the orb down on the floor and once it was out of his grip kept his eyes on Auris, "So **this **is how you were able to contact me."

"Yes," Auris went and picked the orb up and balanced it before her chest, "Before my husband put his soul away we both agreed to put a tiny bit of his essence into this separate orb. That way, when his successor was found, I could use this orb to contact them in case of an emergency."

Mew put one hand on his chin for a bit then wagged it aside, "You must have hid it in a really good spot if Gravitus never found it."

"You're thinking too hard about it. It was as easy as finding the one spot where he'd never bother looking."

Mew only thought for a second before the lightbulb went off in his head and he snapped his fingers out, "Oh of COURSE! That temple we first met in must've belonged to the Ten Sages!"

Her smile was affirmation enough. But then there was another question that popped up that Mew needed answered, "But...wait. You're saying that **you** are not the reason I was called here?"

It didn't line up. Mew clearly recalls talking to her in his head the day he came to Sancturia. Her voice and personality was too distinctive.

"Hmmm, you really don't remember then?" Auris closed her eyes and with a mischievous smile waved her hand up to say, "Because the night before we spoke, it was my daughter who made first contact."

Her words were like the spark necessary to awaken the dormant memories buried in Mew's head. Though vague, he started to recall a girl in his dreams crying out for help of any sort. He widened his eyes, brushed his doubts aside, and gasped in surprise, "T-That was her?!"

Auris nodded, her mouth starting to open. Mew swung his hand up and demanded of her, "Say no more. Say no more."

When he put his hand down to his chest he felt his heart beating slowly. He turned away from Auris and looked up the stairs. Closing his eyes to think to himself for a bit, he quietly told Auris, "I...think you should give me some space."

"I agree. Today will be a long day...But tomorrow, shall feel even longer." With those lasting words she turned and made her way to the kitchen, even though it was painfully obvious that no one would have dinner this night.

_Meanwhile, in Kairi's room..._

In the darkness of her room Kairi laid atop her bed on her side, her pillow and legs cuddled up to her chest all firm and taut. She turned to her other side every few moments and let out a dry sniffle. She had exhausted all of her tears and drenched her face and her bedsheet.

Her tossing and turning eventually led to her laying on her back and staring up at the ceiling. Her eyes were swollen red and she could barely see a thing even discounting the darkness.

Mew's words kept replaying over and over again, a broken record that just wouldn't stop. She clenched her hands in fists of rage and pounded the sides of her bed twice.

"Stop it stop it stop!" She demanded, almost begged of the voices in her head. But she could scream at them until her throat was dry and hoarse and they'd still be there. Because she _wanted _to hear those words. She could sit comfortably on a throne of denial all she wanted but that boy's kind words would never go away.

In the solitude of her thoughts she admitted she was powerless now against Mew's kindness. She twisted her teeth into a scowl and punched the right side of her bed again then flipped onto her side, throwing her pillow off by accident.

"Its unfair...! Its unfair, I hate it hate it hate it!" She cursed her vulnerability in hopes that there'd be any takers to her anguish. She felt like she could even accept the embrace of a devil...At least they would be honest about preying on her tears.

"He's up to something...! Why would he care about what happens to anyone else, least of all me?!" She still played that card after all this time. Her mind had been tossed into a blender, of which there was only one hope of escape.

"Please! Tell me what to do..." Kairi scrambled to lay herself on her back and pull the headband around her neck up to her face. There her face was locked into a pale, silent gasp as she whispered in bitter confusion, "S-Shina...?"

The reflection upon the headband was of both the blonde-haired girl and Mew. Two halves, an illusion cast by her mind on the precipice of insanity. But also, a very telling sign that she desperately needed to see at this moment.

Kairi squeezed the headband to hide what she saw then forced it down to her chest. She reared her head back and bit down on her teeth, one more tear managing to force itself out of her swollen eyes. Her heart felt like it was being torn from her chest.

She finally succumbed to a lack of energy and flopped flat on her back, her arms and legs sprawled out atop the bed. She hung her head back and looked up at the ceiling some more.

"...Every time I look at him I think of you...And every time I think of you I-I feel like I'm losing you more and more..." Kairi sniffled and bit her teeth down, "I-Its been two years but...I-I just can't accept that you're gone!"

She threw one arm over her eyes and cried out in vain, "What...what am I supposed to do?!"

_The next morning..._

Mew was down in the basement dojo practicing some air boxing on one of the dummies. Gabriel was still nowhere to be found and Mew was starting to suspect that Auris had made him go away so he would have no part in this whole ordeal with Kairi.

Kairi herself hadn't been seen since yesterday, not even to have breakfast. In fact no one had breakfast that day. Mew couldn't ignore that all he was doing was distracting himself from what he really should be doing.

"_I should go check on Kairi..." _He pinched his lips down to suppress a very restrained groan, _"Oooor maybe not. Gah, this is so difficult. A good therapist, I am not..." _

His distractions would come to an end as he heard footsteps from behind. He turned around and saw Kairi slowly walking down the stairs. Her knees wobbled to keep her legs upright, and it was any wonder that she didn't trip and fall flat on her face.

Hitting the ground might have honestly been an improvement given how red her cheeks and dry her eyes were. Mew slowly turned to face her and flashed a pleasant smile as he told her "Good morning" like everything was normal.

She stopped on the final step and propped her head up. Her reddish eyes glared at Mew and her lips weakly lowered into a scowl. Mew could feel the aggression that beamed from her eyes and burned through his soul like pure rays of heat from the sun.

He held still for a moment and that was just enough for Kairi to dash forward and rush at him with her staff drawn. Mew planted his feet on the ground and clasped her staff between his hands, the rough orichalcum skidding the skin of his palms.

"H-Hey now!" He declared.

"Shut. UP! I've had it up to here with your...your bullshit!" She ripped her staff out of his hands and swung it again at his head.

Mew blocked it with the back of his right arm and was instantly starting to regret his decisions, _"I give her time to herself and this is what it gets me?!" _

He could tank the hits well enough but if he kept letting her go at it something was bound to break eventually. She kept swinging her staff at him hard and fast, refusing to let him switch up his defenses. She had him backing away, and Mew couldn't even fathom why she was this pissed off THIS time.

No. This was beyond her usual rage. Her anger was fueled by a genuine desire for vengeance against an atrocity Mew must've committed without knowing about it. Every bitter blow was swung with the intent to break him, hurt him, make him understand just how much rage she kept buried in her heart.

Mew glanced back then with a flick of the wrist threw the training dummy in Kairi's path and sped to where it once stood. Using his powers to strengthen the wood he held Kairi's staff at bay and watched as she bit her teeth into a furious scowl.

"Can't you at least take a moment and tell me what I did wrong?!" Mew yelled in a mild state of panic.

"NO!" She screamed as she threw her staff back as far as her body would allow them smashed the dummy down the center, throwing its splinters across the sides of the gym mat. She then resumed her rampage one pounding step at a time. Mew threw another dummy in her path and she slammed her staff against it. This time Mew made sure to make the dummy be coated in metal.

"You know, this isn't how you treat someone when they try to help you!"

"I never **asked **for your help!" Kairi banged her staff against the dummy twice and screamed, "And I don't need your pity!"

"Just go away! I don't want to see you or your stupid face ever again!" She bashed in the head of the dummy and started working her way down. Mew bit his teeth down and had to think of some way to weather out her rage without dying in the process.

He held his ground and exclaimed at the top of his lungs, "I'm not going anywhere! I made my promise to stop Gravitus and I intend to see it through!"

"You're. So. STUBBORN!" She was halfway down the dummy when she yelled, "Why do you care what happens to this city of assholes?! Why...why do you care so much what happens to me?!"

Tears bounced off her cheeks as she smashed through the last bits of the dummy with all her might, punctuated each finishing blow with a more ragged scream, "Why?! Why?! WHY?!"

When she split the dummy in two her body was exhausted and she collapsed onto her knees. She cried and gasp for air simultaneously, her face flushed for color and her heart beating out of her chest.

She swung her tear drenched head up and declared, "Y-You can't fill the emptiness in my heart! You...you are not my big sister!"

Mew stood there and looked at her pour her heart out and yet for him the answer was as simple as scoffing and telling her with a smile, "Don't be silly, of course I'm not! I never **could **be!"

Kairi's eyes widened into a blank stare as Mew plopped into a criss-cross sitting position and put his hands on his knees. He felt her anger but none of the energy necessary for her to put it to good use. Keeping his smile on he told her, "Are you ready to talk now?"

Kairi hung her head and murmured, "You'll just ridicule me..."

"Why would I do that?" Mew spat in disbelief.

"Because what makes you different from everyone else?!" She yelled back.

Mew froze up for a moment and wished he had something to say. But alas, he was at a loss for words. Kairi was the ringleader of this conversation now.

"...S-Shina was the only person I ever felt close to, and when she vanished I...I had no one left," Kairi squeezed her fists against her kneecaps and ushered out a cry of grief, "A-And I wish she took me with her!"

"_Huh?" _This came as a surprise to Mew. He had assumed that Shina had suddenly vanished without warning but now here Kairi was insinuating that she knew what happened to her sister.

"Took you with her?" He prodded to gather more info.

Kairi pulled her head aside and covered her eyes under the lip of her cap as she muttered, "I-It was a few days after my 14th birthday. Shina suddenly came up to me in the middle of the night and told me that she was going somewhere. I-I forgot where, but..."

She curled one of her fists up to the headband around her neck and remarked, "T-The next day, news circulated around Sancturia that Shina was last seen heading to the Pyramid. Everyone started spreading rumors that she tried to rebel against Gravitus and was k-killed."

This lined up with Bobby's story, Mew thought to himself.

"B-But I didn't believe it! The Shina I knew would never die like that!" Kairi swung her head towards Mew and bit her teeth into a scowl, "I tried to cling onto the hope that it was all a lie. I was scared! I was just a kid! What else was I supposed to do?!"

She ground her teeth together and pulled her head down in a huff of anger, "But nobody would see things the way I did! They looked at me and laughed at the 'sister of the traitor'! No matter where I went they laughed at me! Children, teenagers, even some adults! They laughed and laughed, like they wouldn't let me forget that I lost my sister!"

"A-And one day I just...snapped..." Her head raised and with a rather unhinged look in her eye she dryly laughed aloud, surrounded by the trickles of her tears, "I started attacking the people who ridiculed me. I was like a feral beast taken off their leash."

Her lips parted wide into a tingling smile as she pulled her head back and released a tiny bit of ecstasy in her voice, "And it felt soooo good."

Mew felt a little uneasy as Kairi continued her story, "For the first time...I felt strong. I **didn't **need my big sister to help me out. I could stand on my own two feet."

"And as I got older I got bigger and stronger, and eventually people stopped mocking me in front of my face. Not even the grown-ups could give me shit anymore. I felt invincible..." She stopped for a moment and glared up at Mew, only for her eyes to sink and her mood to turn melancholic.

"...But beating up every person in Sancturia didn't bring Shina back," She clutched her headband tightly around her fingers and murmured, "A-And it started to seem like...m-maybe they were right. Maybe...she **did **go to fight Gravitus."

"Stop for a moment," Mew forced himself into this one-way conversation, then crossed his arms up to his chest and closed his eyes, "Bobby's right you know. Risking your life against Gravitus isn't going to bring your sister back."

"So I should simply give up and grow old and ignorant?!" Kairi replied bitterly, "That bastard knows what happened! And he deserves to die regardless of what happened to Shina!"

"Its not that simple..." Mew whispered.

"D-Don't tell me you believe all that crap about him being an honest man!" She screamed in anguish.

"Of course not!" Mew widened his eyes and yelled out in fury, then clenched his teeth down and told her bluntly, "But I didn't spent all this time training you just so you could lord your power over everyone you hate!"

"W-What?" Kairi seemed oblivious to what Mew was saying and uttered out something truly asinine, "T-They deserve it!"

Mew wasn't having any of that.

"Humans can be stupid, ignorant, oblivious, whatever. And it seems that's just as true for Aurians. But all their hateful words are just that. Words. You're stronger than them the moment you stand tall against everything they say and show them that you aren't what they say you are. But every time you draw blood or toss insults you prove that everything they say about you is true. Be the best you that you can be, and let those assholes drown in their own filth."

When he was done Kairi looked at him dumbstruck and even Mew himself widened his eyes and wondered where all that came from. He quickly and sternly focused his gaze on her, coughed and remarked before she caught on, "Just ask yourself this. If your roles were reversed, do you think Shina would have beaten up all of Sancturia to stop them from sullying your name?"

Kairi squinted tiredly and looked towards the ground and she mumbled, "N-No..."

She then flailed her head around and exclaimed, "S-So what?! You can't seriously expect me to suddenly care! I don't give a FUCK about any of my people!"

"I'm not asking you to go prancin' about making friends with every Aurian you've hurt. Just..." Mew closed his eyes and let out a sigh, "Lay off them for a bit and let them show you their true colors. _Then _you can weed out the good guys from the undesirables."

He winked one eye open and grinned, "I think you'll see that there's a lot more kindness in people's hearts than what you see on the surface."

Kairi lowered her head and let out one long gasp of exasperation. She was completely giving up the fight the moment she asked Mew, "Just...w-what are you?"

Mew crossed his arms up to his chest, cracked a smile and told her, "I guess...I'm your friend Kairi."

She lifted her face up and dug her knuckles into the ground. Her cheeks turned a light shade of red and she averted her gaze, remarking in a meek tone of voice, "Maybe all my kindness disappeared with Shina."

Mew stood up, laughed and remarked, "Oh don't be so melodramatic."

He then extended his hand down towards her and said, "You think I didn't see the way you felt around Venus and Uranus? You haven't lost it. You just need to...reconnect with it, that's all!"

Kairi looked up at his face then laid her eyes upon his hand and laid her own upon it. He helped her stand on her wobbling legs, upon which she looked him in the eyes. Mew closed his eyes and creased out a smile and giggle.

"Now! Whaddya say we fit in a little more training today?" And faster than she could blink he was already guiding them along to a new topic as if this had just a normal part of their schedule.

Kairi giggled a little in turn, and glided her hand off of Mew's while twitching a little in embarrassment.

Before they could part for their training regimen the ground started to shake. It was a sensation that grew a little stronger over time but never to the point of threatening Sancturia. But any quaking is worth investigating in this floating city. Mew looked at Kairi for a moment and rushed for the stairs while remarking, "Wait here!"

Kairi, however, followed him along while wondering aloud, "What was that just now?!"

They would find their answers waiting for them outside the front door. High above where the Pyramid lied a chrome spaceship decloaked and floated in place. It was three times as big as the whole Pyramid and had a lot of fancy knick knacks courtesy of Saturn, no doubt.

"_My people. I come to you bearing great news," _A deep, grandiose voice reverberated out of the ship, _"Today shall be the dawn of a new day. A day where all Aurians will take the next step towards evolution. I understand you may be confused, possibly frightened...But rest assured..."_

A beam of light emerged from the bottom and deposited a person towards the top floor. It was obvious who it was by now, and despite leaving the ship their voice still echoed.

"_If you have any questions, then by all means...__**Come and see me**__."_ Mew's skin was riddled with goosebumps and a shaky smile begun to form. That last remark felt almost like a personal call-out to him specifically. But as enticing as the challenge was, there was one problem...

"_Auris said we had a few more days...!" _He turned back into the house and saw the woman in question leaning up against the staircase railing, her hands thrown up by her face in a shrug. A knowing one at that.

Mew bit his lower lip and grumbled, "Its a little earlier than I expected but..."

"T-That was Gravitus...!" Kairi exclaimed, drowning out the sound of Mew's voice from her ears.

Her hands started trembling into fists by her hips. As the ship went back to being invisible and sped out of Sancturia, one last quake swept through the city. It was a show of power, one more call out to Mew, the one Gravitus must for certain know opposed him.

Mew tightened his hands into fists then firmly nodded his head. He turned to Kairi and looked her over. Every voice that told him not to drag her along was echoing in the corners of his mind...But after she bled her heart out to him Mew knew he'd feel like the biggest piece of shit if he told her to stay back.

Cause there'd be no rest for her weary mind until **she **heard from Gravitus' own mouth what happened to her sister.

Mew threw up his right arm and rolled it around, getting out that last bit of stiffness from Kairi beating on it minutes ago.

"Well?" He asked to drag her attention away from the Pyramid, "We still got one more Planetary Aurian to knock out, then its a straight walk to kickin' Gravitus' ass."

He then turned to her in a flash and told her, "You ready?"

She stood there in pause then curled her fingers into a pair of fists against her chest and firmly nodded her head, "I-I am!"

"Good!" Mew stared straight at the Pyramid and could feel raw power rippling from the top. Contact with this power made his smile quiver.

"_Cause there's no turning back now..." _He told himself as he and Kairi made a beeline right for the Pyramid. Auris slipped out of the house and leaned up against the side of the door. She crossed her arms under her chest and stared at the top of the Pyramid.

"So he came back now..." Her eyes slanted as a curious smile crossed her face, "Then, you wish to play now? Is that the message you are sending me?"

She closed her eyes all the way and her smile turned uneasy as she whispered to herself, "Fine. Then let this be the day that everything changes..."

_Next Time: The Last Ruler_


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: The Empty Throne**

The race was on to get to the top of the Pyramid. Mew and Kairi ran like the dickens and let nothing distract them along the way. Even the crowd of Aurians gathered around the Pyramid's perimeter, dabbling in murmurs about Gravitus' speech, only gave them temporary pause.

Their target was clear. Their focus, though rocky in Kairi's case, was otherwise also clear. Their legs and feet were sore after running up about ten staggering floors worth of stairs one last time. But when they made it to the penultimate floor Mew looked back at the progress they established over these last few days and felt some pride rise in his smile.

It felt like a longer journey than it had truly been. Eight floors guarded by eight great opponents, every one of them having fought with the full strength of their will and showing Mew the weight of their pride. But now there could only be one left standing in their way. Mew may have doubted the legitimacy of the last man or woman's claim of being a "Planetary" Aurian, but that wasn't the same as underestimating them.

He looked to Kairi for a moment as she caught her breath from all that running. She held her head up high but something about the way she did felt like her putting on an act. Mew furrowed his brows and asked her, "This is it. One last fight before the top."

"Uh-huh." She briefly replied with a nod of the head, sounding confident in the irrelevancy of their next opponent's strength compared to the monster lying at the top.

Mew looked up towards the ceiling and felt a pulse rippling down the sides of the building. His pupils shrank and lips trembled. And then he looked at Kairi again and saw her trembling at the knees. She now knew what it was like to experience true power, and her first time was not inspiring confidence in her abilities.

Cautiously, Mew edged ahead of her to take the lead then turned around and told her merrily, "Come on Kairi, lets get this over with!"

Once she nodded her head again they turned and fully entered the penultimate floor. Their greeting was sour and repugnant. Compared to every other floor this one was bathed in a thin layer of dust and eclipsed with a grim, gray shade. The ruins of yesteryear scattered about, represented by fallen pillars and twisted, rusted weaponry. It was a wonder this room stood upright.

But though the mood was melancholic, the light of the portal shone brightest here, and kept the two on the proper path forward. Crawling their way through the dust infested hall, they made their way into the portal and towards their final destination – the once proud planet of Pluto.

The most curious sight as they popped out of the portal was that they were greeted by somewhat blue-ish skies. The stars that lied millions of light years beyond the Milky Way still littered the sky too, but here they were at their prettiest. The land at their feet was a little icy, and far far away were line of mountains as tall as the ones Mew's house were wedged between. On top of that, there were bits of red in the ground. One would be quick to assume blood, but no. Its just this planet's snow.

A scenic detour could wait until after Gravitus' defeat, Mew thought. The last Planetary Aurian was close by, he could feel it. But just how close was not something he could have seen coming. Mew stared straight ahead and perked up his eyes and finger forward.

"There they are Kairi," He said to draw her curious eyes away from the rest of the world, "The last Planetary Aurian."

Sitting atop a crumbling throne of dirty gold was an elven man with dark gray skin. His wrinkled hands cupped atop two bronze sabers, one with an hourglass between hilt and blade, and the other with a telescopic lens between the two. His nails were full of grime and had turned yellow, each and every one looking sharp as butcher knives with the tips bent inward about a centimeter.

Stirring to life at his company's sight, the man slowly stood tall before his throne and grabbed one blade in each hand. Age had been cruel to him. His facial features were sagging enough to pronounce the pink skin under his yellow eyes, and left him with a perpetual frown. His ears were pointed at the top about three inches long, and his once silver hair was long, dry, and tangled up before his eyes. He wore what appeared to be a king's regalia, complete with a cape that bore a lion's mane collar. But his golden armor had lost all luster, the gold having been chipped away by the eroding sands of time.

"So, here you stand before me. At your final destination..." The man spoke with a light medieval accent, his smarmy mannerisms lacking any proof of respect towards his guests.

The throne at his back crumbled to dust and scattered to the wind. He raised his head towards his guests and continued to frown, "I am Plutonian the Third. But **you**...shallrefer to me as your king."

Mew snickered and threw a slight bit of shade at the man even as he "bowed" towards him, "By all means, o' king of this dwarven rock."

Pluto furrowed his brows and squeezed his hands around the top of his blades. As Mew raised his head he then closed his eyes and muttered, "I foresaw nothing less than your utter ignorance, jester. Though, I suppose you are only _somewhat_ at fault for your less than fortuitous upbringing."

Mew slanted his brows and rolled his eyes as he thought, _"Is this guy for real?" _

It was easy to mock the man's long-winded insults for he showed little weakness otherwise. Shambled appearance aside, he stood as tall with the planet's subtle wind at his back. Mew could buy that he was a king, certainly, but judging from the bad vibes he was getting from the man it felt more beneficial to not give him the respect he demanded.

"So you're the last Planetary Aurian?" Kairi suddenly inquired, her tone matching Mew's in the "not giving a shit" department.

"Do not sort me in with those dogs so weak of heart..." Pluto spat venomously as his lips curled into something resembling a scowl, "Their ambitions were too weak to even best a fledgling pair of curs such as yourselves."

Mew opened his eyes and lazily threw a hand up at the man, a slight rage boiling in the back of his head as he did so, "Hey hey hey. Those guys fought at their best. Where do _you_ get off mocking them?"

"And why, pray tell, should I give your hypocrisy the attention it craves?" Pluto firmly replied, forcing the argument to an end on his terms as Mew just stood there and pinched his lips shut.

He raised his head and widened his weary eyes, remarking in a soft, bitter tone, "As I said before, this is your final destination. Your long, fruitless journey...ends at my feet."

Mew rolled his eyes, threw up his dukes and asked, "Oh yeah? And what does Yoda's ugly cousin get outta all this?"

Pluto had no response to the quip beyond a smirk, though it was very, VERY doubtful that it was because he found it funny.

"I suppose I can enlighten you. Then you will leave this world only _marginally_ less ignorant than you were going into it," He swiveled his head around and gestured his hands towards the ground, "This world was not always this icy wasteland you see before you. It was once a massive kingdom, populated with wonders beyond your pitiful planet's wildest dreams."

"_My story began a woefully long time ago, when this barren rock once dwarfed Jupiter in size. We were a kingdom ruled by magic and technology working together in harmony. But our rule was dominated by a tyrant, my father, Plutonian the Second._

_For centuries did he reign, commanding his people to erect statues and gather rare minerals in his name. His dark magic ensured an uncontested rule...Except for one factor that not even the dark arts could overcome. The withering thrall of age..._

_He turned to labors of love not out of sincerity, but to ensure his legacy would last unto eternity. And his poor son paid the price for his power lust. A torturous regime attempted to mold the son into his father's image. But as strict as the man was, his uncontested reign left him blind to his son's empathy._

_The son continuously sneaked out of the palace, evading the guards' watchful eye with tricks he learned from his father's tomes in secret. He turned to his people's plights of agony and sickness and felt his heart be wrenched with grief. Seeing these people in such a sorry state begged one question to the boy's father..._

_'Why must our people suffer to the point of exhaustion?'_

_And the answer provided would echo in the boy's thoughts for centuries more to come..._

_'Because kindness is wasted on the weak'_

_But they were not words the boy understood at the time of their utterance. To the him of yesteryear they were the ramblings of a madman. _

_So the boy sought to overthrow the tyrant. Continuing his dark practices in secret, the boy learned his father's strengths and weaknesses and sneaked out weapons to the citizens. His words inspired freedom in their hearts, and reignited the dormant bastion of hope they were made to bury within._

_It took plenty of years to establish the foothold he'd need. So long in fact, that he could not remember a time where he hadn't fought for freedom. All it took was one unified attack. With a force so mighty that it was like a tidal wave, the son led his people to his father's throne and slayed his forces until he was but the last man alive._

_The son forced his blade to his father's throat, and did not let the coward utter a single word before rending his flesh from the bone. As his father's cold, yellow blood stained his barren throne, the son felt true joy for the first time. _

_Cheers resounded throughout the kingdom, and the son welcomed them all with a smile. It was without a doubt that he would be made the next king, but he would be different. He would be the planet's first selfless king in many, many millenia._

_It gave the new king a sense of fulfillment to see his people enjoying their new peace and prosperity. But why stop here? Why not help other worlds out? There were so many secrets on Pluto that would surely benefit them. However, it was not a job that could be done alone. The king wished for his people's help._

_But while the king's heart burned with selfless desire, his people...were not so receptive to the idea. Their position was not unfounded. _

_'What have other worlds done for us?' _

_'What were they doing while we suffered?' _

_The king respected their wishes, but only to give them time to enjoy their peace and think things over. A mistake that he'd, in time, come to regret. _

_For the next few centuries the king sat alone in his palace, watching as his people got lazier and lazier. After sweeping away the vile dredges of the tyrant's reign, the king's people used their great achievements in technology and magic to throw...parties. Non-stop, shameless...parties. _

_The king tried to intervene and pleaded with his people to think of other worlds, but again their words echoed their selfish thoughts. They held no respect towards others, least of all it seemed, their king. The king's patience was tested, but there were so many excuses...So little progress._

_There'd be moments of outrage in the echoing silence of his palace. The people could hear their king breaking his knuckles on the palace walls. He would not bring harm to his people under any circumstance but...Something __**had**__ to change._

_If his people would prove unreliable then he'd make do with what he had. And what he had was plenty of magic...And the teachings of his father. He revolted at the idea of relying on that monster's magic but spun his sacrifice of ideals as turning a bad idea into something good._

_He brought to life soldiers out of the minerals mined from the planet. They would get to work creating means of which the works of his race would be spread to other worlds. But there was a finite number of resources, and his father's reign had dwindled them down to almost the last drop._

_But that was when the king came up with an idea. If there was more of the planet, then naturally, there'd be more resources. It'd require a little work, but the king knew this idea was sound. Thus he begun to craft two swords. One whose would change the size of whatever it cut, and another of whom whose cut would hasten the flow of time. With both blades in hand the king would plunge them into the world tree and Pluto's size would increase to staggering heights in mere seconds._

_But destiny had other, crueler plans. _

_His people saw the soldiers digging up materials as a sign that their king had gone mad with power, and would soon become the same tyrant they sought to dispose. And his outbursts of the past only served to indulge their narcissistic fantasies. _

_A small group of miscreants, too drunken off their partying 'labors' to know right from wrong, came up with a plan. They offered to 'help' the king with his labors. Though in actuality, they sought to undermine him._

_With the king's guard lowered it was but a trifling matter for those imbeciles to saunter into the palace. Late one night, they enchanted his completed blades with but a simple curse to reverse their properties. _

_The next day those louts lingered behind their unsuspecting king as he readied the completion of his greatest task. But it was obvious the moment the blades struck that something was wrong. With the planet's girth no bigger than before, nor the effects none as instantaneous as expected, the king's confusion was met with by the cackles of the jesters behind him._

_They caught him pale-faced in his foolishness, and laughed at how they successfully foiled a "tyrant"...And how they'd get to be the next kings because of it._

_The king was blind to their mockery as the injustice of his people's selfishness finally came to a head. He roared with rage as he rushed the mewling quins with his blade and slaughtered them like lambs. The man saw the world bathed in yellow as he finished his task and slowly dragged his feet to the palace gates._

_The tip of his blades tore at the ground of his now shrinking world, a cruel, sloven act that would last an excruciatingly long time. When he finally emerged on the palace steps he engaged his 'people' and their agape mouths with but one emotion – rage. _

_Pure, unbridled rage spat from his mouth as he cursed his kin for rotting in their sloth and greed. He rightfully blamed them for dooming their planet to in-hospitality and demanded they fix what they have done or suffer the consequences._

_But no amount of rage could cure them of their selfish hearts. The people of the planet took advantage of the king's efforts and stole his spaceships underfoot, fleeing to the stars to avoid the consequences of their actions. The king stood at his palace gates and screamed into the heavens for their punishment, but they left unopposed._

_Alone, the king stood and watched as centuries of work was undone in months. The planet shrunk, crushing the buildings together and forcing their ruins into the starry depths as the force of gravity grew too weak to hold them down. The king never left. He stood there, trying in vain to reverse the process only to make matters worse..._

_The planet became the size it is today. Detached from the sun and without the magic to sustain its heat, the planet slowly turned into an icy wasteland plagued by reddish lice. The king had no throne to swear his allegiance too...Only the shambles of stone served as his seat. _

_Solitude of the mind was his only company. That, and the bitter cold that surrounded him. His magic infused body would rot slowly into the night over thousands of years. He did not require food or water, but almost begged for the desire of nourishment to rot his body from the inside out._

_The only progress he could make now was to answer the question of 'Where he went wrong'. His mental state cracked, and the words of his terrible father crawled out from the murky depths._

_'Because kindness is wasted on the weak...'_

_And he was right. The king had showered his people with freedom, and far too much of it. They embraced peace and grew tired and lazy. But when he had worked hard under the toil of his tyrant father, he grew stronger for it, and bettered that evil man._

_Yes. __**He**__ had done all the work to bring prosperity to __**his**__ kingdom and what was he rewarded with? The ruins surrounding him, that now acted as his prison. His 'people', meanwhile, enjoyed the spoils of his struggles because they were weak while he was strong. _

_Ultimately it was his fault. He should have been stricter. Tougher. Made them work to build up their strength until he saw fit for them to be worthy of their rewards. _

_That was the revelation that dawned on him at long last. He was the shadow of a king, a servant to those sniveling, wretched dogs. He girded his beliefs in a cage of steel and solidified that what he felt was right._

_And the heavens, over the next centuries, grew privy to his plight and delivered unto him a great and wise sage. The sage tested the man's resolve by mocking his beliefs to his face, even as two blades were thrust upon his bearded shroud of shadow. _

_But the man who would be king declared, his voice rupturing the gates to the heavens above:_

"_I WILL have my chance again. As King of one world or as King of all creation I WILL not fail, will not YIELD, until my name is etched forever into history as the greatest King who EVER LIVED!"_

_And the sage thus blessed the would-be king with a parting gift. The protection of the heavens above, and the immortality to endure the rotting years until his time would come once more. _

_It was but a bit longer of a wait, but the king would find the one he'd require in time. A man who named himself Gravitus approached him on this barren wasteland with two mugs full of rum. He too, was a man seeking redemption for time wasted in servitude._

_History now recognized the name of the former king as one filled with disgrace. The king explained to his company in infuriated detail the truth of what had occurred and, much to his surprise, the man listened to every word._

_Gravitus then offered a partnership with the king, claiming that together, he'd have a second chance to reclaim what he had lost. The king was reluctant. He had accepted the favor of man once before and had his kindness spat back in his face. What made Gravitus different?_

_The man lectured the king on his ideals to change the world. Going into such detail that nothing came across as half-hearted. And by the time the two's talk had come to an end, they had reached a mutual understanding of one another..."_

There was, finally, a brief pause, upon which Pluto used to end his story on a rather arrogant note of "Now do you understand?"

Mew felt thousands of years older just from listening to that story. His opinion on the man hadn't really changed much either.

"Sounds like a buncha crazy talk to me." He said.

Pluto's smirk lacked amusement as he replied, "Make up whatever truth you wish. I heard humans excel at that."

His unflinching answers to everything affected only one party. Kairi, on the other hand, drew her staff in both hands and thrust it at Pluto.

"Whatever! Forget this lunatic! Lets kick his ass and get a move on!" Her confidence and impatience inspired concern in Mew's head but she had a point. Indulging this "King's" narcissism wasn't getting them anywhere.

Mew took one step forward and gently pushed Kairi's staff down, his eyes locked on his foe as he said, "Leave him to me. Save your energy for Gravitus."

"What?!" She spat in disgust and confusion before pushing ahead of Mew and forcing her staff towards Pluto once more, "If we fight him together we won't waste a drop!"

"Ghh...!" Mew was super hesitant about getting her involved against their enigmatic foe. A fact the man would confirm soon enough.

"By all means," Pluto smirked and shrugged his shoulder as he looked to them with a ghastly gaze, "I will fight you both and triumph. For I am a king...And you barely even qualify as peons."

Kairi's brows slanted and her cheeks puffed with hot air. "I'm getting sick of your shit you wrinkly prune!" She yelled before running straight at him. Mew failed to snag her by the shirt and thus swung his arm up to yell at her to "Hold on!"

Pluto didn't budge as the ground shook between his feet and a black chain pulled itself out of the dust towards Kairi. She gasped and tried to jump only for its path to shift on a dime. It snagged her around her right ankle and started whipping her around in the air.

Mew bit down on his teeth and drew his sword in one hand. He sped past the chain and sliced it, leaving Kairi to fall on her butt as he tackled Pluto head on. Suddenly he drew one of his blades and blocked Mew's strike without losing his footing.

**Vs. The Disgraced King: Aurian Pluto**

Pluto dug his saber along the edge of Mew's sword and ignited sparks as he gruesomely spoke down to him, "You thought I sat on my laurels as life passed me by?"

He leaned in and pushed Mew's blade back a little but surprising amount, "But my magic exceeds that greedy nymph's, my skill with the blade rivaling that honorbound cur's."

His eyes narrowed with a scorn most cold as he growled, "I have a far greater claim to the label of legend than you ever have. Tell me...What accomplishments do you have to your name?"

Mew held his ground but felt he was losing it fast. He then grimaced upon sensing a disturbance in the air. On his left and right dark red rifts opened up and rusted lances poked through.

Mew jumped and slid back, the lances thrusting upon his neck and grazing the skin, which quickly fell cold. Mew grit his teeth and rubbed the spot he was touched. This was no game. This man was playing for keeps. And Mew, to his chagrin, was letting himself get distracted.

And because of that he missed Kairi run by him and take a swing at Pluto. The king raised one sword in defense and didn't budge. He turned and reversed his grip as he needed to defend his body. Kairi targeted his knees and elbows but missed them by a mile.

Pluto summoned more rifts aimed at Kairi. Mew clicked his tongue then threw his hands up. He pulled rocks from the ground to divert the lances' descent as he ran in to provide back-up.

Pluto blocked a few more of Kairi's attacks then reached down for his other blade. He pulled it up and locked Kairi's staff between them both. Then he slashed down to his hips and the gale raised blew Kairi back into Mew's path.

He caught her in the nick of time and helped prop her up. But then he held on until she got his message loud and clear, "I'm telling you, let me handle this!"

"I'm not dead weight anymore!" She declared as she threw her arms out of Mew's hands and turned around, "We can take this chump down together!"

Mew looked up and saw two massive chains rising out of the ground towards them.

"Look out!" He decreed as he pushed Kairi to the right and jumped to the left. The chains tore through the ground and performed a U-Turn to single Mew out.

Kairi looked at Pluto and proclaimed, "I'll hit him from the front, you get 'em from behind!"

She ran at him before Mew could object. With an uneasy growl he spun back and threw up a wall of ice around the chains to stop them in their tracks. He then quickly ran at Pluto, picking up his feet to outpace Kairi and get behind his foe.

He wanted the elf's full attention and thus threw a punch straight at his face. Pluto needed but the dull edge of one blade to stop him. Though Mew did succeed in forcing the saber to its owner's face.

"Hrmm..." Pluto's curiosity was mildly satiated as he put up his other blade to block Kairi's swing at his face. Mew didn't know why he bothered. Not like it could get any uglier...

"I expected better from you..." He said with a glance at Kairi, "Are you sure you're the one?"

Pluto planted doubt in Kairi's mind with his strange words. Mew watched as her face turned and wrestled with confusion. And that kept her detached from her surroundings.

The ground glowed. Two rows of rifts formed at their feet.

"Kairi!" Mew exclaimed as he leaped back from the emerging lances, swords and spears. Kairi almost didn't make it, and fell on her butt.

Pluto lowered his sabers to his hips and advanced upon Kairi. She stood right up and declared to Pluto, "You may have two blades...But it won't help you against three opponents!"

She slammed down on her Beast Tamer Drive and Mew could feel the smirk Pluto bore towards this. But his guard was down, and Mew punched out a ground-quaking lightning bolt at his back. Kairi briefly succumbed to shock, no pun intended, as the bolt lit up the sky with a flash of white.

It left in the blink of an eye and Pluto kept walking slowly towards Kairi. His body, now enveloped in an aura shining with the pearl glow of an angel, cast a shadow that made Kairi hesitant to act.

"What?" Was all Mew could think at his failure.

He prepared to strike again, this time with fire, when Pluto swiftly thrust his left saber straight out to his side. The ground trembled. A maelstrom of metal beating against metal reverberated in Mew's eardrums.

He turned right towards an incoming whirlwind of blades and lances enveloped in the icy winds. He drew his blade in defense but the force of thousands upon thousands of weapons easily dragged him miles away. The last he saw of Kairi was her widening her eyes in surprise before the maelstrom overwhelmed him.

Pluto took his extended blade and swung it over his head. Kairi was on guard but not out of the fight. She lashed her whip to his wrist and dragged his blade towards the ground. Pluto kept his balance and only offered a mildly irritated glance to his side.

"Is that it?" He said as he raised his other blade up and swung it down. Kairi smirked as a panther she summoned in secret pounced Pluto from behind.

Without pause the man put his blade in a reverse grip and stabbed the aura beast in the gut. And on that move, Kairi punched him square in his disjointed nose. The aura radiated from his body, and the punch failed to draw a drop of blood.

Pluto centered his gaze on her fist as bewilderment ran wild on her face. As she slowly drew her fist back he stared into her eyes and crinkled his nose to say, "This is all you can muster?"

Kairi tried to flip back but two small chains shot from the ground and shackled her by the kneecaps. They slammed her down hard not once, or twice, but three times.

Mew watched her struggle as the typhoon of blades continued to wear down his defenses. He quickly turned and shoved the edge of his blade against the dark magic. A shot of compressed wind cleaved it in two and gave passage for Mew to charge forward.

The weapons tried to collapse upon him. He threw up part of the ground with him on it, launching himself to safety. He then aimed his blade at Pluto and prepared to dive. Alas, the chains he froze moments before finally broke free and threw themselves around his waist. They dragged him to the ground, where the tornado came crashing down upon his back.

Mew dug his fingertips into the icy dirt and staunchly held up under pressure by coating his back in metal. The blades scratched away at him but what worried him more was the state of Kairi.

She managed to find an opening to breathe and concentrate, summoning a bear to slash through the chains. She stood up and ducked left under Pluto's sword as it flew on by and stabbed the bear's head. The mighty beast plummeted to the ground before the sword was ripped free and drawn back to Pluto's hand.

Kairi stepped back slowly, the elven king having her convinced that this was the only option available to her. Mew gathered his strength and punched the ground, creating a bubble of energy to temporarily repel the weapons and let him stand.

He threw his body upright and wrenched his hands around the chains to rip them off. Upon which he then threw his arms up high, erupted with flames, and shot a pillar of fire skyward to melt through the relentless typhoon.

Pluto averted his attention for a brief moment, giving Kairi the opening to try and whip his face. The man, without releasing his sword, grabbed the end of Kairi's whip and tugged it up to his ear.

"I am disappointed," He squeezed the whip down and put the tip of one blade to the edge of Kairi's chin, "I expect a warrior and am delivered a sheep, one sheltered from her flock..."

Kairi grit her teeth and backed away, stuttering at the king with a failed display of bravery, "Don't...don't look down on me!"

Pluto closed his eyes as a shadow dropped over him. An icy boulder harder than diamonds was flung his way, only for it to crumble to pebbles upon his aura. Mew charged at him behind the pebbles with his fist swung back, and swung it halfway out before a chain raised behind Pluto and lashed him in the gut.

Mew went tumbling but he could vaguely make out the scene unfolding before him. Kairi retaliated with one of nature's fastest creatures – the cheetah. It ran abound of Pluto's personal space, jumping and slash away at his body.

Pluto drew the blade with the hourglass and cut away at the feral feline every time it crossed his gaze. Kairi and Mew watched as the cheetah's body got increasingly sluggish until it was no faster than a slug. Then, with it inching towards his face, Pluto stabbed it up through the chest.

"I suppose it makes no difference to me..." Pluto narrowed his eyes unto Kairi and continued to advance, "I shall present you to Gravitus either way."

Pluto took the tips of his blades to the ground and dragged them in half-circles around his feet. Mew stood up and staggered with one arm on his stomach. He felt an uncomfortable vibe coming from Pluto's feet, as if he was up to something.

"K-Kairi...!" Mew coughed, his voice too faint for her to hear.

Pluto dug his fingers around the blades and held his ground. His mere presence egged Kairi on and fed into her desperate desire to prove herself. She squeezed her whip in her hand and leaped at the elven king with it above her head.

Pluto expressed his first smile as he hopped to the left and the circular etching filled in with a multi-pointed emblem of dark desire. The black and crimson lights cascaded out and froze Kairi in place. Dozens upon dozens of devilish chains shot up and constrained her body save for her hands and head. A couple rifts opened above her, the chains pushing through to firmly suspend her off the ground.

The chains snagging her neck took her breath away and her whip fell out of her hand. As it fell to the ground and faded into sparks the color faded from Mew's face and, pain or no pain, he sprinted straight at Pluto.

The king turned his back to his ensnared prey and raised his head high. The boy may have been rampaging at him but there was no cause for fear. He smirked, and proclaimed with a thunderous roar of his regality, "I invoke the Rite of Singularity!"

Then his smirk creased out as he swiveled his body back and gestured one blade at Kairi in chains, his attitude positively dripping with smugness, "On...**her**."

Mew dug his feet into the ground, bit on his teeth, and stopped ten steps away from Pluto. The man faced him and planted his swords into the ground, returning to the posture that he first started the battle in. A cold wind swept over Mew's shoulders as he held his ground and nervously grinned.

"Fine...If that's how you want to play it then let her go." He growled as a single sweatdrop formed on the side of his face.

"Who are you to make demands of your king?" Pluto glared back at the boy, "A prince? A pauper? Not even a knight? What are you but the jester of whom no one asked for?"

He closed his eyes and remarked with arrogance beaming off his body, "But I am delighted to say that your role in this story is over. Rejoice, for you no longer may need to play the chauvinistic hero you fooled yourself into believing you were."

Mew twisted his feet into the ground and it started to crack. He narrowed his fiery gaze towards Pluto and told him bluntly, "A blundering king who thinks he's a hero. That's _rich_."

"Barking **is** all you can do now isn't it?" Pluto mumbled with a smirk as he waved one hand back towards Kairi and remarked, "With your prize now clothed in chains?"

Mew reacted with a scowl as the man continued unopposed, "What is the measure of a man who gallivants about doing whatever he pleases? You may have been given god-like powers but they were wasted on one of your stature. What change have you brought about it in your time as Overlord? Can you honestly look me in the eyes and tell me that you've changed your world?"

The man scoffed. The answer was already painfully obvious to him, and Mew hated it. He could only try and distract the man with insults while he worked out a way to rescue Kairi from her predicament.

"I don't want to hear it from the living failure." He said while waving the back of his hand in a dismissive manner.

"A failure I may be, but the path to glory I find is always paved with obstacles," Pluto held his head high and looked down upon Mew some more, "Tragically they seem to have missed their mark on you, giving you a sense of entitlement you haven't deserved."

"...Sorry, I didn't know I was coming in for therapy." Mew dryly replied.

"Hmph. What further proof of your failure do you need than that of the girl behind me?" Pluto nudged his head back slightly and started to find amusement in all this, "Did you honestly expect to change her fate by tackling it head on? You only succeeded in hastening the inevitable."

Mew curled his lips into a scowl and continued to hate what he was hearing.

"_Its bad enough getting lectured on your mistakes...Its even worse when some narcissistic bastard's the one doing it!" _

"You treated this whole venture like a game. Climbing the 'dungeon', facing the 'bosses' blocking your path, all to garner the love of a 'princess'," Every word of his made Mew's blood boil, while 'D.' cackled in the back of his mind, "But this is **no **game child. The happy ending you wrote in your head will **not **come to pass."

"When Gravitus acquires the Neo Drive he will usher in a new era of peace across the cosmos. Trillions of lives will prosper from his reign ever lasting..._And you won't even have the honor of being a footnote in his history_."

Mew's body stiffened upright as he tilted his head towards Pluto and scowled at him quietly, "I _am _taking this seriously."

"Too little, **too late**," Pluto raised his arms to his sides and declared to his embittered foe, "But fear not! For in your place my reign shall shunt your stagnant world into a new age of prosperity the likes of which you could never possibly have imagined!"

All that anger Mew was building up was quickly replaced with a look of utter bafflement at what he heard.

"Excuse me?" He muttered.

"Oh?" Pluto smiled, his eyes draped in some mild manner of joy, "I suppose I wasn't clear enough before...Yes, you see, in exchange for my services Gravitus has promised me **your **planet to rule over once he acquires the Neo Drive."

Mew's mouth went agape and he was hoping that this was the one time the man chose to joke. But that hope would not spring eternal.

"You had your chance to change the world. But neither Gravitus nor I have need for a jester in our new world. Yet, as my one act of mercy towards you making it this far...I will allow you to turn tail and flee," Such "kindness" was delivered with scathing mockery, "Live out your last fleeting days deluding yourself with a dream that'll never be fulfilled! Stew in your regrets until the reaper draws their scythe. And perhaps if the divine will be merciful...You will be worth _something_ in your next life."

Mew stopped looking at Pluto and up at Kairi. She didn't budge an inch. She was completely out cold and entirely at the elven king's mercy. He hung his head and the fight in his fists depleted, his arms drooping to his sides.

"_This __**is **__my fault. I kept telling myself not to bring you along because you weren't ready but...But I lied to myself because I wanted to have faith in you," _Mew raised his head and stared at Kairi's face, _"And...I wanted you to be happy."_

"_But it wasn't time. Heck...I don't think there would've been enough time even without his early return. I thought I could make you into a warrior that could tackle any obstacle in your path, I really did, but..." _Mew's hands tightened into fists as he muttered aloud, wracked with guilt, "I...was wrong."

"What was that?" Pluto perked up and rested his hands upon the hilts of his blades.

Mew slanted his eyes and swung his arms down to summon his blade pointed straight at Pluto, _"But I swear..."_

"I'm not abandoning her!" He proclaimed with a fire lit under his heart.

Pluto scoffed, as he does, and wiggled the back of his fingers out with little care about him, "Still trying to play the hero to the bitter end..."

He then remarked in a scornful tone, "You cannot hope to save this girl. With the Rite of Singularity in effect any attack you make on me will end your life. And don't even think about free the girl from her cage...The chains are wrapped so close around her body that your blade will wound her if you even try, and your life will be forfeit even still."

Mew narrowed his gaze towards Pluto and firmly jostled his blade. The man then added with a smirk, "Of course this is all presuming that you were to land a hit on me to begin with. I, who stand in the full light of the heavens, blessed by their name to live on and endure all that is thrown at me!"

"If I've said it once I'll say it again. _Nobody_ is invincible," Mew raised his blade higher and fire spurned forth from around his feet, countering the arctic gale across the planet, "And you're definitely setting yourself up to be knocked off your high horse, _your majesty_."

Pluto held his head up high and proud and mocked Mew's mockery of him, "Then by all means...Strike me down where I stand."

As he ripped his blades out from the ground and swung them to his hips he exclaimed to the heavens, "For a king shall not mourn! Nor shall he show flaws! The past cowers to his call! The future welcoming his reign! To those who stand against him let it be known across the cosmos...That a king! SHALL NOT! AND WILL NOT YIELD!"

As he lowered his head to face Mew eye-to-eye he revealed dozens of rifts above his head, a weapon protruding from each one.

"Now come, ignorant dreamer, and take a walk into Death's shadow..."

_Next Time: As the Divine Ordained_


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: Dying of the Light**

There was not getting past this sensation of helplessness Mew as feeling right now. Kairi was a hostage twice over. Her captor untouchable twice over. His emotions were running high, and one wrong outburst would let the demon in his head loose.

"_I didn't think I'd run into this problem..." _Mew thought as he edged back and forth in front of Pluto. Every approach at the moment was unwise. But there was a bright side to all this.

"You can't hurt me either," He nudged his head up at all the sharp instruments pointing his way, "So I don't know why you're showboating."

"Is that so?" Pluto sternly replied. The tips of his weapons protruded a little more from the rifts. Mew felt their aggression pointed right at him.

"Why don't we test that little theory of yours?" Pluto stood still as the weapons fired one at a time like ammunition from a gatling gun.

Mew widened his eyes and tumbled to the right, then swung his sword to deflect the rest. He should have just let them hit. By Gabriel's explanation of the Rite's rules Pluto would die the moment Mew's skin was cut.

Pluto sent more weapons after Mew, their numbers appearing infinite in scope. Mew kept his knees to the ground and propped up his sword to defend. He was pestered by the clang of metal and the berating sounds of his opponent.

"Unfortunately for you the Rite only accounts for what is bound to our aura. My magic relies on a wholly separate energy pool." Pluto propped up one sword before his chest and two rifts formed behind Mew. He turned and snagged one spear in his head while the other plunged itself into his hip.

On reflex he snapped the spear he held in two then quickly dove his hand down to rip the other one out. As if this wasn't bad enough, he had to endure Pluto's seemingly endless lectures.

"The Aurians of old created the Rite to solve political disputes without fear of outside interference. But how short-sighted they were. A power like this can fell entire armies or even make the gods yield if utilized properly."

"_He keeps saying that but..." _Mew held a hand to his wound to cauterize it and stood up, _"I wonder if its true?"_

There was doubt, a call to challenge the man's claims. Mew pulled his sword from the ground and pointed it out from his shoulder. The storm of weapons subsided, as if his foe was challenging his challenge.

Mew squinted and kicked up running straight for Pluto. The elven king held his head high and his arms motionless. A few feet away from striking Mew had a cold sensation creeping up his chest and put a strangehold on his neck. He then stopped, the tip of his blade poised to puncture Pluto's forehead.

Pluto smirked as the blade was withdrawn and remarked, "There is no way you can beat me. You should have just accepted my mercy."

He drew his saber with the hourglass and cut along Mew's chest in a single swift stroke. It stung with a long burning sensation, but the after effects would linger for far longer.

"Gravitus' judgment would be swift. But I, on the other hand, shall inflict a thousand years of suffering upon your mortal shell." Pluto's voice was starting to come out slower. Mew could've chalked it up to the bastard loving to hear himself talk. But when he went to hold down his wound his hand took longer to get there than it should've.

Mew hopped back to evade two weapons fired upon him. They scraped the sides of his legs. That shouldn't have been possible, he reacted in time.

"_What's going on?" _Even his thoughts were moving slower than normal.

He swung his sword around quick as a whip to try and outpace the weapons. Pluto resorted to striking from different angles and scraped up Mew's legs. Mew retaliated by jumping away, his foe uninterested in pursuing.

Mew turned up the heat around his body and slowed down the weapons. Mew was thinking fast but that painfully contradicted what his body appeared to want.

Even commanding his arm to swing his sword demanded an intense feedback from his brain. And Pluto wasn't letting up. He forced Mew's body on the move with constant weapons and the occasional chain whip.

The first body part to break was his left elbow from multiple chain lashes. The ligaments in his wrist went next when a lance punctured across the top. The pain endured twice as long and stacked on top of the pain of a warped perception of time.

Pluto saw no reason to come closer. His foe was wrapped entirely in his thrall. There was no mercy. No breaks. This was no honorable duel of ideals. It was a slaughter, plain and simple. And Mew found himself the victim.

"_This isn't good." _He thought as a chain coiled under his already mangled arm and tried to tug it off.

At the very least he could apply heat to melt it off, but while he wasted precious brain power on that two spears impaled in the back of his shoulders.

"Gah!" Mew lurched forward as the weapons drilled in deeper. He grit his teeth and forced them out with a grunt. He then thrust his head towards Pluto and hung his sword to his knees.

"All living things are designed to perceive time in increments of a second. When that perception is slowed the brain is unsure of how to respond. Nausea, increased nerve pain. And all this from just one cut. I wonder...What shall be your pain threshold?"

Pluto pulled the hourglass blade from the ground, the unsheathing noise grinding against Mew's eardrums like sandpaper. Mew widened his eyes and looked to his sword. His body's instincts demanded he swing, but to do so would end his life. Pluto kept his magic on him as he crawled closer.

"_There's got to be something I can do. Think!" _The work Mew demanded from his brain was too much even for the time he had to spare. His eyes were still on his sword so long as flashes of red didn't blind him with pain.

On the hilt of his sword were eight triggers like what were on a pistol, each a different color. They usually go beneath anyone's notice from the way he held his sword and truth be told, he had forgotten they were there. Seven were useless by now but the eighth, which was pure white, may just be Mew's ticket out of this mess.

"_If his Drive is 'blessed' then..." _Mew's heart raced and he jumped back to try and avoid Pluto's slash.

A mesa of chains rammed into his back to force him back into place. The situation was perilous. His body craved the desire to fight back. But his heart grounded him in reality, telling him to save Kairi.

There was so much pain and yet, this seemed to drown out all other noises. There, Mew found some degree of focus, and it told him that perhaps, there was some way to satisfy both parts of his urges.

Pluto successfully cut him and time crawled even slower in all parts of Mew's perception. A single word thought split his cranium into pieces.

"_Focus...!" _Was all he had to tell himself to keep his sanity glued together. He slipped his hand slightly off the sword so his fingers could reach for the white trigger.

Pluto slashed him deep across the chest. It had the same effect as before. Mew's singular heart beat now felt like a drum built for a god. He tried to jump back, put even the littlest distance between them.

But only he was constrained to this problem. Pluto was moving at normal speed. He cut Mew twice more along the chest. Mew felt his finger on the edge of the trigger as his perception got so slow that it was almost like he had stopped. Suspended in the air, he suffered indescribable pain as he tried to pull the trigger.

Yet Pluto had one last move to make. He took his other blade and touched the tip to the portion of Mew's chest wound before his heart. His mind was on fire and it took minutes to process this pain. Pluto's spiel, however, would feel like it'd last for hours.

"When this blade punctures your chest cavity, it shall do so nice and slow. Your brain will scream for mercy for years but it shall never come. And when this blade's tip reaches your heart...It will shrink until the arteries break off, and your innards fill with blood."

Pluto pushed the blade in a millimeter at a time, for he had all the time in the world. He bore his cold stare into Mew's eyes, ensuring his face would be the last he'd ever see.

"Such is the fate of a fool."

Mew was so close to the trigger, yet so far. The blade, comparatively speaking, was closer to his chest. Could this really be the end? It just seemed too cruel to die here without a chance to learn from his mistakes.

And worst of all, he'd die a failure. And that pained him more than anything Pluto could ever do to him.

Every person he fought along the way flashed in his head. The promises made. The expectations unmet. But once Kairi appeared in his head he focused solely on her and the time, however brief, that they spent together.

And the image that lasted the longest was the sight of her on her knees, crying her heart out to him...

"_I..." _Mew's heart thumped hard, tapping the tip of Pluto's brain. His finger tugged at the white trigger, and it begun to budge.

"_I will not die!" _The trigger was pulled, the tip to Pluto's blade on his heart. And then Mew's blade shone bright white, consuming its surroundings in blinding light.

Pluto got distracted, grunted in irritation. But when he was allowed to open his eyes, Mew was gone. Pluto stared at the blank icy expanse as a stinging sensation tickled the side of his neck. A katana of diamond and steel grazed the space below his left cheek bone and its tip stuck out of the corner of his eyes.

Pluto jerked right and slashed his sword up. He panted for a few moments, the hairs on his wrinkled face sticking up on end.

"Impossible..." He whispered with a twinge of fright to his voice. A sharp flash of light dragged his attention back ahead, where there his enemy stood at last, renewed in body and spirit. But something had changed...

Mew was now clothed in a long, thin holy robe with a chest brace similar to what archers wear. His legs were covered by these strange metal socks with strappings going up in a series of interconnecting crosses. A gold ring embraced each wrist, and a ruby sheath laid by his left hip. His hair had turned a silvery-white, his eyes a bright yellow. And gently, a pair of angelic wings spread from his back, casting their shadow upon Pluto via the light summoned overhead.

Pluto stared at the boy's holy visage and his body began to tremble. He gripped his blades tight and remarked with a scowl, "You mock me as though it'll make a difference..."

A chain began to rise on each of his sides and he declared, "Take whatever form you wish! I will wound your blasphemous hide a-"

Pluto blinked and the next thing he heard was shattered glass. He turned to his chains, and found them pinned to the ground by swords of light.

When he looked to Mew he got a silent smirk in return.

The boy then pointed his katana out and turned to his side. He bent down and pointed the tip of his blade into his sheath, which began to glow faintly.

Pluto slanted his brows and a drop of sweat went down his ear. He summoned dozens of weapons from the rifts, only for more swords of light to ram them back in.

"What?"! He proclaimed as he turned back.

A mild tremor briefly shook his feet. He faced Mew again and swore he was closer. Pluto kept his swords drawn up to his waist and edge back, firing off all the weapons and chains he could to disturb his foe.

Whatever Mew's blades of light didn't deflect he simply sped away from in a flash. His posture remained unchanged, and he slowly pushed his katana deeper into the sheath.

Meanwhile, wrapped in chains so tight, Kairi began to stir.

She had felt something warm wash over her face, forcing her eyes open. She instantly shot her gaze towards Mew and was barely able to keep up with his movements.

He was making a complete fool out of Pluto in a completely unknown form. Its power was far beyond what Mew had displayed before, if such a thing could even be believed.

"That power is...Light?" The holy presence was comforting to see in this current predicament she found herself in. Finally, she noticed the chains that bound her and tried to budge herself free. No go. They were simply too tightly wound around her.

"Damn it!" She cursed aloud as her hand fell limp is suspension above her head.

She swiftly recalled what led her to this moment and her eyelids sagged. She mustered whatever strength her body could take to squeeze her fist and jerk it around. Again, the chains insisted she stay in place like the "good little girl she was".

She distracted herself from the guilt she felt by watching Mew fight. A tidal wave of blackened steel emerged from behind Pluto and crashed down upon Mew. He casually hopped atop the chains and in the blink of an eye crossed it to the other side.

Beams of light cascaded from above and annihilated the chains down to the atom. Mew sped to the left as a hail of blades fell from behind Pluto's head and his katana rested only a fourth of the way inside of the sheath.

All this power and speed outclassed every Planetary Aurian the two had met along the way by a mile and a half. If this was the case, then why did Mew hide it for this long? Kairi suspected a downside to its use, but the way Mew expertly handled all that raw power cast doubt on this claim.

Her eyes trembled as she raised her head ever so slightly. Even now she finds herself questioning the kind of man Mew is. That there was no definitive answer either spoke volumes of how little she knew about him, or about how much he hid from her.

And yet there was no doubt in her mind that there was something curious about the way he fought now. He wasn't attacking Pluto head-on even though he appeared to hold every advantage. Mew enjoyed fighting up-close and personal, she knew that much. He also loved to toy with his opponents a bit, and of course Pluto seems to have earned every bit of mockery Mew could muster.

But that wasn't it. The truth was closer to Kairi than she cared to admit. It was faint, but she could sense a connection of aura from her heart to Pluto's. Her heartbeat started to race as her eyes softly widened, upon which she coldly gasped the truth.

"Pluto...put the Rite on me."

That was it. That HAD to be it. Her being held hostage prevented Mew from striking Pluto down where he stood. She had to face the truth. She had become a liability, and there was no one to blame but herself for this.

"_I thought I was ready to fight...A-And now look where that got me," _She wiggled around in her chains and pouted, _"Locked up...And useless." _

That word echoed in her head multiple times - "useless". She hated that word more than anything, and now it was the perfect adjective for her.

"No..." Stewing in her anger and self-loathing wasn't going to accomplish anything. Seeing Mew fight even under these intense odds lit a fire under her heart that burned away the concept of uselessness from her head. She curled her fist and did her best to look at her surroundings. Two rifts helped keep the chains raised.

"_If I could just disturb them..."_ But how? The answer, as it turned out, was already within her.

"_My staff...!" _She had just enough wiggle room to summon her staff in her free hand and grit her teeth in determination, _"Orichalcum can disrupt magic!" _

She fidgeted her hand around to push one end of the staff into one of the rifts. She had to work fast, cause she had no idea how long Mew's new form could last.

Speaking of such, the boy continued to speed around without taking a single hit from Pluto's magical onslaught. His arsenal of light weaponry matched the elven king's weaponry, and the chains were laughably slow.

Pluto was too iron focused on what he originally set out to accomplish to try anything different, even though his prowess as a dark magician surely allowed him access to a fortitude of skills.

Mew's mere presence now made Pluto's wrinkly skin crawl. His gruesome grimace stretched across his face and turned into a scowl. The ground trembled again, its strength far greater than before.

"What is the meaning of this?" Pluto muttered aloud, "What does this fool think he can accomplish?!"

Mew heard every word but didn't say a single thing back. His eyes remained locked on his opponent, his katana now halfway into the sheath as a plethora of light struggled to burst forth out of it.

Pluto continued to send his weapons out. The battlefield was now so thick with blades, spears, lances and chain links that Mew had to start dashing atop them. His sprints were light as a feather, the wind at his wings.

Pluto went from scowl to smirk and barked at Mew loudly, his voice filled with pride, "You forget your place! So long as the Rite holds I am untouchable! Though, as if you'd ever be able to breech my divine protection to begin with!"

He felt he just had to keep at it until he wore Mew down. Surely the boy wouldn't keep up this foolish charade forever, right?

The ground quaked. Pluto's eyes widened as he almost stumbled onto his back. He struggled to remain upright, his beaded eyes locked onto the boy as he felt the entire planet tremble. The breadth of Mew's wings spread as far as the tips would go, then folded in towards his back.

The katana was now three-quarters of the way in, and the light within the sheath was unfathomable. If even a glimmer of it broke free, Pluto felt he'd be forever blinded by it. Cold, dirty sweat trickled down the sides of his face and were caught upon his grizzly hair.

"Where is he getting all this power from...?!" Pluto gruesomely decried the boy's strength until his eyes glimpsed at the skies above.

There lied a sight that'd turn the king's ashen face pale. All the stars that littered the depths of space flickered on and off, their glints of light cast off and dragged across millions of miles of space to feed into Mew's sheath.

"By the gods..." Pluto gasped as he swung his head down, upon which Mew's smirk widened and still he denied the elven king the right to hear him speak.

He took a step back, an action considered involuntary on his part. He gazed down upon his shaking feet then back up at Mew. The boy had inched closer, the power he constrained in his sheath sending the whole planet into a quaking fit.

Pluto forced himself to grin and inched further back towards the bound Kairi. He propped his swords up and continued fruitlessly sending blades, spears and lances towards Mew. His stance on the matter, though shaken, felt as strong as ever in his head.

"You will die if you strike me, fool. You'll give your life for hers? Don't make me laugh. You do not have the guts..." Pluto was getting no answers from Mew besides the smug look on his face and the peerless gaze in his eyes.

Pluto's teeth rattled together as he bit them down and squeezed his hands around his blades' handles. Mew's katana was so close to being fully sheathed that it left the king's heart racing to see what would come next.

Kairi, meanwhile, had managed to poke one end of her staff into the rift. Immediately the results were seen, as the rift's image distorted and began to fade away. The chain snapped off and Kairi tugged her staff free, only for it and her now freed hand to drop towards the ground.

She hung on to the staff and swung her arm back up. There was still one rift to break before she'd be able to get out. She had more wiggle room now, and could take in deeper breaths.

She paused for a moment to look over at Mew. He still held a flighty air about him but his stature looked a lot more serious and confident than what he normally displayed. For the first time Kairi saw him in the heroic light he was meant to be seen...And it inspired her to resume focus on what she was doing.

Pluto stopped fifteen feet away from his prisoner, with Mew matching him with every movement. No more speed tricks. A simple step was all it took to bring the elven king to trickle sweat in fear.

"Do not take me for a fool," Pluto murmured with his eyes starting to widen with a scathing gaze, "You think you can look down on me? Your power is a sham! A gift you did not earn! My power comes from the heavens! My purpose blessed by the gods! You have not earned the right to look down on me, you worm!"

The katana locked fully into the sheath, the light concealed from all who'd dare look upon it. Mew hunched over and stared straight over at the elven king. He stopped in place, becoming still as a statue as the man's rage boiled over in a heartbeat.

"I AM YOUR KING! AND YOU WILL ANSWER ME!" His face contorted beyond the pale for such a "divine king", and he swung his blade back to where he presumed Kairi's neck would be, "OR THE GIRL SUFFERS!"

But his blood-curling scream of insubordination deafened him to the sound of Kairi's other chain snapping.

He swung his head back, watching as his "hostage" broke the last rift and regained her freedom. The bundles of chains fell to the ground, unable to keep her off the ground.

The wind whispered, and Mew suddenly appeared in front of Pluto. The king turned his pale face back and found his head reared back in shock, his heart dropping to the bottom of his chest.

"Gotcha." Mew furrowed his brows and widened his eyes as he ripped his glistening katana free from the sheath. The cold grasp of Death scattered across his body as he dragged all the light he gathered into one powerful stroke.

His blade cleaved right through Pluto's divine aura, shattering it like glass. His armor was torn through like paper, a fissure left in his chest. The king gagged up dirty yellow blood, his head lurching out as he dropped to his knees.

Kairi was blown back a little from the sheer force of Mew's slash, her eyes wide and stagnate. Time felt like it slowed as her heart raced, beating loudly like a drum.

"W-Why...?" She gasped as all color became flushed from her face.

Pluto staggered back, the blood spewing forth from his chest as he dropped to his knees, barely able to use his swords as crutches. Mew closed his eyes and stood upright, his head held high.

"**THUMP!" **His heart beat one resounding sound, then went dead silent. An invisible string of aura snapped from the space between Pluto and Kairi and struck his own aura harder than anything he's ever felt.

In the blink of an eye his Light Form was turned off and he felt completely drained of his energy. He weakly raised one hand to his chest and felt no response. His skin and blood went cold, and his vision quickly faded.

"Heh..." He had the strength to smile before the invite of the grave dragged him slowly to the ground, flat on his back.

"I hope...I'm right about this..." He whispered faintly as his landing proved soft upon the icy wastes, the last light he summoned floating high above his body.

Kairi fell to her knees and her hands followed suit. She slowly shook her head, feeling like she was a part of a nightmare.

"Get up..." She whispered a blunt statement of denial to no effect.

"Please..." She begged again, and again.

There was nothing she could say or do to reverse what had been done. Mew had succumbed to the Rite's secondary effect. He had taken his last breath, and for as best as she tried she couldn't make it what it was he said.

He was dead. And it was all **her** fault.

"Ghhh...!"

But the nightmare did not end there.

Pluto stirred, his body refusing to put even a toe in the grave. Black magic surrounded his body and penetrated his gaping chest wound, stitching together flesh and sinew anew. He grit his blood-soaked teeth and started to stand, only for his head to lurch forward and more blood escaping his body.

"Bas...tard!" He cursed in indignation as he forced himself upright and ripped his swords free from the ground. His body was mangled, with a thick scar still present across his chest to remain an eternal reminder of his failures.

"You thought you could kill me...Me?!" He gasped with the ragged breath of a madman as he dropped the tip of his blades to the ground and dragged them alongside his feet towards Mew.

"A-A king...does not yield!" Pluto stumbled on his footing. He could barely make it over to where Mew was lying.

"B-But this wound you inflicted upon me...E-Even with all the dark magic I have available to me it seems I cannot heal it." Pluto managed to steady himself above Mew's lifeless body and raised both his blades high above his chest.

"And for that...Y-You shall be remembered..." Pluto's eyes widened as far as they could go as he screamed at the top of his lungs, "AS STAINS ON MY BLADE!"

"NO!" Kairi screamed, her body springing to life as she rushed straight at the elven king and swung her staff in the way of Pluto's blades.

Their weapons locked with a flash of vermilion sparks. Kairi held the strength advantage and forced Pluto's blades up. But in one swing the king forced her staff off and turned his full attention upon her, his expression a mix of rage and disgust.

"You..." He scowled, then quickly smirked. With his body cracking and bleeding this little girl's teary-eyed attempt at defiance was just the thing he needed to see to regain some of his confidence.

"Have you learned nothing from before...?" Pluto held his head high and sliced his blades down to his hips, one tip pointed at Mew's head, "Weakened I may be, but I am still strong enough to discipline you again...If you so wish."

Kairi widened her eyes and tear drops trickled down her cheeks. She held her staff firmly in her hands and thrust the end of it at Pluto's face while growling at him to "Get away from him!"

"Him?" Pluto nudged his head down to the right and laughed, "What do you care about this corpse?"

The elven king found her staff smashing against his left shoulder. But his Drive flickered to life and protected him. He tilted his head up and with a smirk remarked, "Apparently...More than I was led to believe."

Pluto stood there as Kairi put her full fury into every swing, her staff repelled by his barrier. The recoil hurt her arms but she didn't care. Her body moved on its own, smashing away at an unbreakable wall.

"He was a fool to the bitter end, and his death was in vain."

"You...don't know anything about him!" Kairi screamed in retaliation as she smashed into the side of Pluto's head. The king did not flinch. There was no threat to behold. Only another pesky fly...

"Face reality, 'princess'. He never saw you as anything more than a prize to obtain..."

Kairi's heart felt like it was on fire. It burned with an intense rage, but also other feelings she couldn't put into words. Maybe she didn't know everything there was to know about him. She knew he was a pervert, and she knew he was completely terrible at taking a hint.

But as she squeezed her watery eyes shut momentarily, she could swear she could almost see his smile. She remembered all the training they'd done, all the times he'd helped her. And finally she realized – she accepted what she had somewhere wanted to believe all along. In the face of Pluto's cynical lies, she could not hold back the truth she'd finally acknowledged.

She swung her eyes open and exclaimed, "YOU'RE WRONG!"

She clenched her staff in both her hands. A faith warmth and light radiated from her headband as it briefly touched her chest. And Pluto, narrow-minded in his ways, clenched his teeth.

"He was...MY FRIEND!" She leaped and the radiance from her headband filled her staff.

"Insolent...CHI-!" Pluto began to raise his blades and found his left on the blunt end of Kairi's staff.

He coughed up blood and staggered back, his blades dropping back to his knees.

"I-Impossi-" Before he finished gasping in surprise Kairi landed and thrust her staff into his chest, breaking the unpatched skin, "GAAAAAH!"

"And he..." Kairi bent over and drew her staff alongside her hip. Her eyes locked onto the fear and panic in Pluto's eyes as she began to swing her weapon upward, throwing all her strength into smashing the underside of his chin.

"Was a better person than you'll ever be!"

Pluto's jaw smashed together and he was thrown off his feet. He flew fifty feet off the ground then fell twice as fast onto the back of his skull. His withered hands dropped his blades, where they went sliding along the ground.

Kairi stood over him, her staff pointed at his skull. The proud elven king laid there, becoming a true disgrace to his name as he swung a hand up as a silent plea for mercy. Kairi widened her eyes, her fists taut with fury, and thrust her staff down beside Pluto's head.

She bore the weight of her anger down upon Pluto with her gaze and told him with her teeth clenched tight, "Mew already killed you, so you can stay here and bleed to death for all I care!"

She pulled her staff up, put it over her shoulder, and upon turning away from Pluto declared, "I...will kill Gravitus myself."

Pluto spat up one jolly laugh as he retorted to the girl, "Kill Gravitus? Kill Gravitus?!"

Kairi gleamed over her shoulder slightly, unfortunately indulging the elven king's madness.

"You stupid girl...If you could not best me on your own...What hope can you expect to have against him?" Pluto waved his sharp fingernails at her and grinned with a chuckle, "He is beyond us all...And your time to repay him is soon to time..."

Kairi turned her head away even though that just left her looking down at Mew's body. Her eyes sunk and she muttered his name to herself.

"Mew..."

Just then, Kairi widened her eyes as that ball of light she saw before dropped straight down towards Mew's chest. It was absorbed into his skin and left some ripples behind.

Kairi suddenly felt a spark of life coming from Mew and rubbed her wet eyes with her hands. She ran right over and slid on her knees to his chest. She put one ear down to it and lo-and-behold, there was a heartbeat.

"Mrrmmm mmm..." Mew murmured and Kairi quickly sat upright. He followed suit with a surprising spring in his step.

Letting out a yawn like he'd just gotten up from a nap, Mew rubbed the back of his head and mumbled in a casual tone, "Huh...so that's what that feels like. Definitely a lot colder than I expected..."

Kairi whimpered and her cheeks pushed the tears out of her eyes. Mew turned to her and with a smile remarked, "Oh hey, you got out all on your own!"

He then closed his eyes and chuckled quiet and awkwardly, "Hahaha oh wow..."

"H-H-How..." Pluto's confused gasps drew Mew's attention back. He stood up, crossed his arms to his chest, and approached the elven king.

"How...are you still alive?" Pluto demanded an answer, one Kairi wanted too.

"Hehehe..." Mew brushed the bottom of his nose like it was no thing and grinned from cheek-to-cheek, "Its not complicated! Once I figured out the Rite thing wasn't a bluff I left behind some of my energy the moment I went Light Form. That way once I triggered the Rite and my concentration dropped due to, y'know, dying and stuff, the energy would fall onto my heart, give it a quick jump start, and badabing badaboom I'm back in action!"

Mew nudged his brows up a couple times and remarked in a more stern tone of voice, "You aren't the only one who can exploit loopholes."

Pluto dropped his hand to the ground and snickered with a slight hint of joy, "So once again...you played around like a fool and hoped for the best."

"...Savor your second chance at life while you can fool...You will not be able to best Gravitus the same way you bested me..." Pluto's eyes drew shut and he collapsed flat on his back.

Mew sighed and turned around while rolling his shoulders. He came face-to-face with Kairi, who stood there flabbergasted beyond belief. Her cheeks remained dripping as she shook her head and curled her fingers up by her cheek.

"W-Where do you get off...?" She gasped.

Mew put his hands behind his head and remarked, "I know, I know...It was a crazy idea. But hey! All my time watching Dragon Ball Super finally paid off!"

Kairi pounded Mew's chest with both her fists and he let out a very bad sounding cough. She hung her fists in place and exclaimed, "Don't you EVER try a stunt like that again! I-If you do...I-I-I'll kill you!"

When she dragged her fists off of him Mew put a hand on his chest and murmured, "You almost killed me now, geez...Just cause my heart's beating doesn't mean its back to full health..."

Mew took in a few deep breaths while Kairi pouted at him some more. He then gathered up the energy to stand and remark, "Why don't we get out of here and chat somewhere where its warmer, alright?"

Kairi silently nodded her head and with the two in agreement they made their way to the portal. At long last the nine Planetary Aurians had been defeated. Now there was nothing standing between them, and the man up top...

But right before they entered the portal Mew stopped for a moment and grumbled. He turned away slightly but the fact of the matter is he couldn't hide from Kairi that he was clutching his chest.

"Are you ok?" Kairi murmured, causing him to turn around and reply with a grin "Of course!" as he always would.

"Are you sure?" She asked again, squinting at him with her glazed over eyes.

Mew grunted and nearly put his hand back on his chest, then with a casual wink and smile told her, "Yes, absolutely!"

He then tried to dismiss the topic by going right for the portal, but Kairi wasn't going to drop it. He was clearly forcing himself to keep going because of course he would, Gravitus is just up ahead. And from the power he displayed, as much as it pained her to admit it, he **was** the best shot of beating that man.

But with the time of confrontation being nigh Kairi was more worried about seeing Mew go to the fight. In the heat of battle she declared Mew as her friend. She said that. Those words came out of **her **mouth. Even if Mew didn't hear her she couldn't take it back, these feelings of concern for someone she wished the death of only a few days prior.

Fighting Gravitus was something she had waited and prepared herself for for two years and now...She was wanting to wait just a little longer, just to make sure Mew was ready for the fight. He was a tough nut to crack, but if she didn't say anything then that nut'd be cracked in two and this time there'd be no mending it.

"I...have to say something!" She determined. Though what that'd be, exactly, was something she wasn't sure of as she walked into the portal.

_Next Time: Reflections of..._


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: Motivations**

Mew walked out of the portal feeling spry as a spring chicken...At least in his mind. The moment he stepped back into the dusty hallway his heart thumped loudly once against his chest and he nearly tumbled over. He laid one hand upon his chest, cracked a shaky grin and muttered, "Guess there had to be a cost for pulling off my craziest stunt so far..."

He leaned his head back and saw that Kairi hadn't followed him through. On top of that he blinked and realized, "Oh, crap! Forgot to get the stamp off-"

The portal started sliding off to the right to reveal the final staircase and Mew quietly made a note of, "Neeeeever mind."

He slowly turned around and sat himself down on the bottom step, giving his body a bit of a rest. He stared at the portal and waited for Kairi to pop out. It was hard to imagine that she was particularly happy with him, and that likely fed into her inability to believe that he was doing well.

"_I'm really quite the jackass for lying to her so much, ain't I?" _He thought to himself. He let out a deep sigh and then slowly paced his breaths to get his heart back to pumping at its normal speed.

Not a few seconds later Kairi was out of the portal and looked around, shocked that it had moved. Mew waved his hand up to get her attention, barely putting any effort into the gesture.

"There you are!" She proclaimed with a slight hint of worry in her voice. It was a tone that Mew was somewhat taken aback by after the last few days of relative abrasiveness.

She ran up to him and looked down. Mew could barely keep his eyes open to look back at her, and his hands and legs drooped towards the ground. He looked pitiful, and there was no hiding it this time.

"Y-You're hurt," Kairi was trying to take a stand against his lies, but she was definitely not used to acting this way towards someone else as she hastily spat out, "And don't tell me you're not!"

Mew leaned back a little, gently slapped his right knee and chuckled, "Alright alright. You got me! I admit it!"

Kairi curled a fist up to her chest and slowly shook her head as she said, "W-We need to get you back to my mom. She could heal you up and-"

"And you think Gravitus would allow that?" Mew prodded his pointer finger up twice over his head and smiled, "He practically wrote out an invitation to me in bold ink."

Kairi's eyes darted for the stairs and then after a few seconds back to Mew. The curling of her lips and tightening of her fist showed her struggling to make a decision. Mew could only begin to imagine how she felt but, as rude as it may come across, he had to make the decision for her. Even if it meant lying a little more.

"Its not like I'm out of energy," Mew pointed at his chest, "My heart just needs a little more time to readjust. It'll only take a few minutes, promise!"

Her eyes now locked onto him and him alone. The rest of her posture remained unchanged.

"I don't get you..." She muttered, before breaking out into more of a yell, "I just don't get you at all!"

Mew slowly widened his eyes as her frustrations reached a new peak, and she vented her problems towards him all at once.

"You kept pushing yourself when you could've beaten every Planetary Aurian on your own! You keep trying to hide when you're hurt despite giving me crap for hiding my feelings! A-And..." Kairi squeezed her eyes and bit her teeth down, "Yet you DO care. N-Nobody asked you to help Venus, or Mercury, or Uranus, o-or me, but..."

She slowly shook her head and muttered, "You're the most stubborn idiot I've ever met Mew, a-and yet I..."

Her lips moved but nothing came out. There was no way to decipher what she wanted to say. But whatever it was, it made her face turn beet red afterwards as she swerved her head away.

Mew stared at her and thought, _"Yep. That settles it. I'm a Grade-A asshole."_

He then scratched the side of his head and whispered, "Its not like I meant to give you the wrong idea Kairi, its just..."

He clamped his hands down on his knees and lifted his legs to balance on his butt. He then leaned into the stairs and laid himself out flat on his back. He patted the empty space to his left a couple and said, "Sit down for a moment. Might as well pass the time with a little conversation."

"Who knows?" Mew shrugged and felt a little melancholic as he mentioned, "This could be our last chance to get this stuff off our chest."

Kairi sat right down beside Mew and bent her knees up to her chest, clasping them around her arms. Mew sat up and laid his hands on his knees. Neither of them looked at each other. He stared up, she stared down. He was paddling his legs in the air, she was stiff as could be.

After a few moments of silence in the stagnant air, Mew let out a long sigh.

"I've never really had to...talk about this kind of thing before," He turned to Kairi and cracked a big ol' grin, "It may come as a shock but...You're kinda my first friend Kairi."

Kairi unfurled her legs from her chest and wondered aloud, "But what about some of the Planetary Aurians?"

"Yeah sure, I could play games with Seth or enjoy a nice drink with Noel. But to me a friend requires more than just one shared interest. A friend is..." Mew paused to lift his head and think about that a little more, then resumed looking at Kairi with a smile, "Well...A friend is someone you feel comfortable talking to about anything."

He then stared out into the dusty hall, finding himself distracted by the curious, confused look in Kairi's eyes.

"My lack of friends doesn't have anything to do with how I feel towards humanity. I **love** my people. We're a bunch of goofballs who tend to create more mistakes than we do miracles but...I'd like to think that gives us our charm, y'know?"

"But...humanity is also really fragile. Sure, I've gotten pretty good at controlling my power, but all it takes is one party and a little too much excitement and the next thing you know a simple slap on the back turns a friend into a skipping stone to the Great Wall of China."

"And that's not even getting into my role as the Elemental Overlord. Its never happened so far but like...I've always had this feeling in the pit of my gut that there's a few unsavory folk out there who'd be more than happy to eliminate the Elemental Overlord by any means necessary. And the last thing I'd want is to get humanity wrapped up in my problems."

"That's why I was...kinda _happy_ when I first came to Sancturia. Finally, I had found people a bit more like me. Guys who could, if worse comes to worse, survive whatever decides to come after me."

"Or so I thought. Turned out there's only a handful of you guys who were close to my level of power."

"That's not true," Kairi interjected on a rather sour note," You're even stronger than us – I-I mean...t-them."

"Well duh, but its not like I'd go walking around like an angel all the time!"

After his hearty chuckle Kairi had to say to Mew, "Well why not? Sounds to me like it'd solve your problems..."

"Yeeeeeah..." Mew flicked his wrists around and felt a little less sore than he had a bit ago, "I could've taken down most of the Planetary Aurians quickly had I used it, but..."

He turned to Kairi and bluntly remarked, "I don't really like to."

"You don't like to?" Kairi found the reasoning insanely baffling and, to Mew's credit, even he found it loopy on paper.

"Ok. Imagine doing something you really like to do. Running. Swimming. Or...Brrr, _reading a book_," Mew acknowledged Kairi's rather twisted glance of confusion with a grin, "Now imagine something you don't like to do AS much, but its still enjoyable. That something is the only thing you're allowed to do every single day. No matter how much you want it, you aren't able to do your favorite thing. Every day, over and over again..."

"That was my routine for the last two years: Get up, do a little training, play some video games or watch TV...Maybe stop some bad weather if it rolled around," Mew raised his hand flat up before his chest, "I enjoy my routine but there's no denying that I was in a rut. What I really wanted was something it felt like I'd never have."

He closed his hand into a fist until the bones cracked, "A fight."

"Its like there's this...itch in the center of my brain that can't be scratched unless I fight. I wish I knew where it came from. Not cause I dislike it, no no no! It just feels _strange_." Mew pulled apart his fingers and stroked the side of his hair from front to back, stopping there.

"Training's a good placebo but until this week my itch wasn't getting scratched enough."

"So you're a battle junkie..." Kaiir remarked, tinged with a little grief.

"You could say that yeah. But I'm not obsessed with finding the strongest or seeking conflict. If I've gotta scratch that itch then the fight oughta be fun or it should mean something. Fighting for the sake of fighting is just...wrong."

"So when you transformed...it was because it meant something?" Kairi replied.

Mew looked into her eyes and saw her longing for this answer. They were lightly soaked and even in this dusky room they glistened like emeralds.

Mew turned his head away, closed his eyes and remarked, "I'm sorry Kairi. I wanted to have it both ways. To have fun with my fights and also have them mean something...Its impossible."

"If I didn't do it though then..." Mew paused and thought deeply about what he was going to say.

He'd been running his mouth for a few minutes and, while what he said hadn't necessarily been untrue...There was one factor that linked his feelings together into one unified web of boredom and misery. And it began and ended with a "D."

Mew squeezed his hands atop his kneecaps and could almost hear the demon cackling. But now he wasn't alone. He had someone to share that burden with. He began to open his mouth, then let out a brief, dry cough of air. He pursed his lips, grimacing as his heart beat loudly.

"_I can't do it..." _He turned to Kairi and saw her leaning in slightly, her hand raised only for it to be brought right back down.

"_Not yet."_ But he was leaving her hanging. He had to say something.

"If I didn't do it though then I'd probably lose my humanity. And there's nothing that scares me more than that." His body trembled afterwards, only to stop when Kairi put her hand on his arm.

Her grip wasn't firm but rather loose. Not all of her fingers were touching and she was starting to pull away. When her arm retracted all the way she pulled her head down and mumbled, "I-I think I get it now."

"Wanting to help people and wanting to fight...I-Its not a contradiction. T-They're both halves of the same person."

She lifted her head and said with watery eyes, "You're the first person who has been this genuinely honest about their feelings since...since Shina..."

Mew stuck two fingers up and tapped her playfully on the forehead. He then smiled at her stunned silence and told her, "Really? I haven't been honest enough, truthfully! Heehee, guess this puts us on the same boat, eh?"

"H-Huh?" Kairi widened her eyes and Mew slyly grinned at her.

"Come on. If you're worried for my well-being just say it. Tap dancin' around the issue gets us nowhere!"

Kairi quickly shoved Mew's hand away, puffed her cheeks and declared, "F-Fine! I don't want you to fight Gravitus! C-Cause if you do I'm afraid you'll-"

"Die?" Mew put on his best grin and laughed, "Yeah, maybe! But that's always a risk you take when you fight."

He then cocked his head slightly to the right and said, "I've never had any second-guesses about my mortality. I ain't immortal! But I can give my word a hundred times over that Gravitus isn't going to be my Grim Reaper."

"You can't guarantee that! Gravitus is the strongest Aurian...W-What if your best isn't enough?!" What Kairi said wasn't just out of concern for Mew's well-being, it was also a genuine doubt in her own abilities.

"_What happened with Pluto really affected her..." _Mew closed his eyes and grumbled internally, _"But boy howdy am I really not cut out for this..."_

"My best has to be enough," He said, winging it with his usual gusto, "Hell, it WILL be enough!"

"W-Well what if we work together?" Kairi asked.

"That's a no go Kairi." Mew swiftly replied.

"I know I made a mistake but-!"

"That mistake could've been all it took for Gravitus to win!" Mew suddenly raised his voice, putting some strain on his heart. But he staved off the pain long enough to push the weight of his words onto Kaiir. But when she started looking frightened by the panic in his eyes he backed off a little.

"...I can't tell you to go home after coming this far but please, don't get any ideas about fighting Gravitus."

"Is there really no other way?" Kairi murmured.

"Not unless you'd be willing to try fusion!" Mew joked loudly. Kairi's face brightened pink.

"Kidding, kidding..." Mew quietly replied, though he did come with an idea in the meanwhile.

"Actually, there IS something you could do for me."

"Yeah?" Kairi perked up a bit.

"I wanna hear more about Shina. No need for a document length exposition piece just, y'know, share with me some of your favorites memories with her." Mew knew his honest request would be answered, though it took Kairi a moment to reply.

"Ok..." Kairi swiveled away from Mew and pinched her hands between her kneecaps. She readied and steadied herself with a deep breath.

"Ummm...My earliest memory of Shina was when I was a baby. She was three years old at the time and spent a lot of time climbing onto my cradle to watch over me and say hello," Kaiir had a wobbly smile and she blushed, "M-Mom used to tell me that my first word to say 'Hello' back."

"Hehehe, that's adorable!" Mew leaned back into the stairs and saw Kairi's hands go taut. This tensing up flew right over his head as he raised his eyes and muttered, "I wonder what my first word was?"

"Ahem!" Kairi blurted in a flustered huff.

Mew sat himself upright and went, "Oh sorry. Continue."

"..." Kairi slowly turned away from Mew and did just that, "After that Shina spent even more time talking to me to teach me new words. She was really eager to have someone new to talk to but...I-I was just a baby for crying out loud. And even though I was that young I already knew I was going to be overwhelmed by the type of person my big sis was."

"I started learning how to walk when I was around...two I want to say? Shina helped me out a lot with that too. She'd stand behind me, hold my arms up, and make me pretend like I was tip-toeing over lava."

"That was kind of a part of her charm, y'know? She'd turn even the most mundane things into some grand adventure. So even if she could be overbearing at times it didn't matter to me."

"She got me to start eating greens by convincing me that evil broccoli people were invading my dinner plate, or taught me how to tie my shoelaces by mentioning that it was necessary to prevent demons from invading."

She turned to look at Mew and the goofy grin he tried NOT to wear and then stuttered out, "B-But its not like I still believe her or anything! I grew out of it! E-Eventually..."

Mew didn't say a word and in fact vehemently denied the possibility by squeezing his lips shut, though it wobbled into something resembling a smile.

"Mrrrghh...You don't believe me do you?!" She puffed her cheeks and turned bright red. Mew threw his arms up and went "I do! I do!" though his mind told a different tale.

"_Though considering all that talk of fairy tales..." _He gleamed aside for a moment and his smile grew a little. Then, a little time passed and she continued again.

"When we got old enough to start going to school she'd walk me there every day, even when we were in wholly separate grades. We'd help each other out with our homework too. That was like, the one time I ever saw Shina buckle down and get serious about something."

"I **always **expected her to say how we had to conquer the 'Math Aliens' or survive against the 'Mind Goblins'. It was because she treated it so seriously...That I really got into reading books."

"_And_ she also taught you about the wonderful world of video games and anime!" Mew proclaimed proudly.

"N-No...!" Kairi pinched her lips and slowly shook her head like he had lost his mind. Mew slyly grinned and nudged his brows up.

"Awww come on, don't be shy **now**."

Kairi gently slapped Mew across the waist and remarked, "Its not like that! I really DON'T care about any of that stuff!"

She then eased up a little, turned her head away and stared up at the ceiling, "At least...Not as _obsessively _as you do."

Mew rubbed where he got hit while asking her, "Sorry. So what is it then?"

"I usually kept to my room when I studied if Shina finished before me. But one time, when I was around eight years old, I peeked downstairs and saw Shina tapping away at a video game on the TV. It was so strange to me how the character on the TV seemed to react to what she was doing on the controller. And the worlds she directed that character along were so big and vibrant compared to Sancturia."

"She caught me peeping from the staircase and the next thing I knew she whisked me down to the couch and put the controller in my lap before I could object. I put a little time into playing the game. She helped me get used to the controls, of course. It was...fun. I enjoyed myself. Though, I think a lot of it had to do with how it gave me another connection to my sister."

Kairi tilted her head to Mew and with an uneasy smile told him bluntly, "And that's it really. I learned all that I know from hanging around my sister."

Mew shrugged his shoulders and said right away, "Eh, fair enough."

"...Really," Kairi squinted her eyes almost like she was disappointed, "That's all it took?"

"Its a special memory for you. I ain't gonna soil it by demanding you play video games with me."

"...W-Well maybe I'd like to just..." Kairi's whispers grew increasingly quieter until even Mew could no longer hear her.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" She perked right back up to yell.

Mew then wagged a hand up her way and said, "But you _gotta_ tell me what the first video game you played was."

Kairi turned her face away and said, "O-Ok but you have to promise not to laugh."

"Why would I-"

"Promise!" She exclaimed while jerking her head back to look over her shoulder.

"Ok! Ok! I promise!" Mew felt a little uncomfortable saying that.

She turned back around and muttered while looking to nibble her fingernails, "I-It was Spyro Year of the Dragon."

"No shit?" Mew sounded wowed and he put his hand on his chest to say, "That was actually one of my first games too!"

Kairi tilted her head at him and was markedly unconvinced, "You're just saying that."

"No I'm being serious!" Mew said with a smile. Kairi simply leaned her head down, closed her eyes partway, and shook her head in disbelief.

"Heeeey now you're the one doubting **me**." He made mention of while waving his finger at her accusingly.

"Ah whatever. Proceed." He brushed it off with some mild annoyance. Kairi lifted her head back up and continued.

"Our life was pretty normal. Well, as normal as life could be with Shina...But how could I ever forget the day things changed between us?"

She looked to Mew and preceded this leg of the commentary with a note of, "Its not like we ever got into a big fight. This was different than that. We made...well...A promise."

She then closed her eyes, laid her hands over her crossed legs, and paddled her feet like a child at the edge of a pool, "It was a starry night. The northern lights shone really bright. Shina and I were on the edge of Sancturia hoping to watch a comet fall..."

"It was something we did once a month. But this time around Shina suddenly said 'Y'know what'd be fun? If we went down to the surface!' Of course, I had to remind her that it was forbidden but she didn't care. She said that when we were both old enough we'd go down to the surface together."

"It was supposed to be our special thing...A-And..." Kairi couldn't finish the sentence before curling her bottom lip and squeezing a tear or two out of her eyes. But what appeared to be the start of an emotional outburst wound up becoming little more than a brief flash of grief.

She hung her head and gently lifted the headband around her neck up a little, the reflection visible from the corner of Mew's eyes.

"...Two years ago. A few days after my fourteenth birthday. Shina came into my room and told me she was going somewhere. I-I remember crying and begging her not to go, but she said she had to. She left me this headband as a birthday present. A-And she told me to always be good..."

Mew focused on the headband for a bit and thought to himself, _"That thing always looked out of place on her. Now it makes sense..."_

Kairi tried to smile as she leaned the headband towards him and said, "Shina made this all by herself. The symbol carved into it is the kanji for 'Hope'..."

"Looks a little small for a headband though." Was the most important thing on Mew's mind.

"It is yeah," Kairi had a dainty laugh at the gift's expense then wiped a tear off her cheek, "Shina always thought I was gonna remain her 'little' sister."

She then swallowed a little and clenched the metal plate around her fingers, whispering in a veiled tone of self-reflection, "...But we all have to grow up eventually, don't we?"

Mew turned his head away and leaned his head forward. He put his arms on his lap and then cracked a bit of a smile. His heart was still feeling a little too throbby for his liking, but it was a pain that could be ignored.

"So? Don't you feel better now?" He remarked in a perky tone of voice.

"Huh?" Kairi swiftly turned her head and let go of the headband, then answered in a puzzled yet soothed tone of voice, "Yeah I...do, actually."

Mew then sprung right up onto his feet and propped his fist up against his hips, "And so do I! I bet I could take on at least 10 Gravitus' now!"

His heart throbbed really hard against his chest but he grit his teeth and tried to look cool. Kairi seemed to buy it as she also stood up and said to him, "You...do look like you're back to your normal self."

"And its all thanks to you," Mew said with his head swiveled towards her baffled face, "Hearing you talk about what Shina meant to you...It makes me feel like I've been entrusted with a part of your burden. And I'm not just carrying your soul, but the memories of Shina as well."

Mew laid one hand where his heart was and mentioned, "Even if those feelings I feel aren't as passionately driven as yours, that little bit I'm borrowing could be more than enough to tip the scales in a climatic moment."

He then raised his head up to nod down as hard as a weight being dropped and proclaimed, "Yeah! I'm feeling it now! I can definitely win this!"

He turned around and took a couple steps up the stairs before Kairi yelled at him, "W-Wait!"

He swiftly turned his head over his shoulder but her intercepted any further attempts at her holding him back by smiling bright and saying, "And when this is over, I promise you this above all else."

He thrust one pointer finger back towards her face and gave her a wink, "I will take you down to the surface myself. No one can replace a loving sister Kairi...But that doesn't mean you can't still honor her memory by doing what she's no longer able to."

Kairi put her hands up to her chest and didn't know what to say. When Mew turned around and continued climbing the stairs, he heard her yell out "W-WAIT!" again.

He stopped but didn't budge his head this time until he was positive it was necessary. She followed him up the stairs a little bit and whispered to him, "There's something that's been bugging me for a while now...Priscilla and Pluto said that...I-I'm the one meant to get the Neo Drive?"

"_Ah crap."_ Mew didn't like that can of worms being opened up this close to the end of the road and started rubbing the back of his head as she kept talking.

"What does that mean?" It was a simple question with a not-so-simple answer.

"Ah, don't worry about it," Could probably get into the top 10 for worst answers possible, "There's something about worthiness and bloodlines...I guess?"

He then quickly spun back around and had a wily attitude about him as he waved his hands around his head and rolled his eyes, "Look, once we confront Gravitus he'll spill his guts about his evil plan and all the stuff that goes along with it. AFTER I've handed Gravitus his ass on a silver platter we can worry about you and the Neo Drive, ok?"

"...I don't know." She replied.

Mew stiffened his body upright and turned around, continuing his march up the stairs while squeezing his fists by his hips. The facts lined up in his head and culminated in some turmoil swelling in the pit of his gut.

"_I don't know either. But I've got a bad feeling about this..."_

And so Kairi followed along, circumstances favoring her poorly and making her a spectator in what should be her final battle. Mew was going to be going it alone, by choice, into a battle that wouldn't just decide Sancturia's fate, but potentially that of the entire universe...

_Next Time: Bloodlines_


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: Gravitus I: Indomitable Will**

The last staircase was both the shortest yet the longest to climb. It was a straight forward walk. No twists. No turns. It seemed too good to be true. But for once, that's all there was too it. An easy climb before the hardest fight.

Though for the last paces to the Neo Drive, Mew was expecting at least some kind of spectacle. Turns out that was more or less what he'd find at the very top.

The last step out of the staircase led to his eyes being covered in a curtain of bright rainbow light. The flash subsided, the curtain parting to draw Mew into the chamber of the Neo Drive. The walls shared the build of the prior floors but appeared to be painted over with a glossy, wavy glow akin to the Northern Lights. The colors slowly shifted along the rainbow spectrum, starting red, ending on purple.

The glow rose like steam off the ground, guiding Mew to the stained glass ceiling. Ten hands stretched out towards a round, rainbow colored object. Their energy went into the object, not the other way around. Mew deduced that this was the last known depiction of the Neo Drive's creation.

And speaking of the Neo Drive, there was a chrome pillar at the opposite end of the room of which the glow pulsated from. The energy that came from it felt like pure positivity made real. There wasn't any doubt coming in that the Neo Drive would feel powerful, but Mew more-or-less expected that feeling to come after it had been activated.

Finally, standing before the ceremonial pillar of worthiness was the man of the hour. The one who was least worthy of being here...

He stood tall, as tall if not taller than Gabriel. His hair was pitch black and shaggy, tied into dreadlocks past his shoulders. The rest of his back and in turn his body was covered by a thick, dark green cloth cape.

He did not move. They hadn't even made eye contact. But this one look Mew got at the man shook him to the bone. He held the tremors off outwardly seeing as Kairi was slowly walking up beside him.

He leaned his head towards her and whispered, "So that's him right?"

Even ignoring the obvious, Kairi freezing up and her pupils shrinking spoke volumes. Mew pulled his head back and saw that Kairi was having trouble breathing let alone speak. Was she having difficulty coming up with something to say? She must have never imagined that she would have made it this far.

This one man ruined everything for her in the span of a day. The urge to yell at him was high, but the man's presence intimidated her from speaking.

Yet her fists started to clench, her teeth clamping down and chattering. Before Mew blinked, Kairi pushed herself forward and exclaimed, "Y-You bastard!"

She kicked her feet up to run at the man. Mew blockaded her with his right arm to her gut and quietly told her, "Hold on, that's exactly what he wants!"

She tried shoving past Mew but his will held out in the end. She leaned back, growled, and kept leering angrily at her mortal enemy. Mew stepped up to the plate and swung his arms out, proclaiming in a fake, cheery tone, "Yo! Aren't you gonna greet your guests?!"

"Ah yes, where are my manners?"

Mew had gotten a sneak preview of the man's voice but was now finding out how restrained it was by the wonders of technology. In person it was far more baritone and exuded power and confidence.

The first step he took to turn revealed a long, jagged, triangular foot made of sleek, metallic onyx. The jagged, mechanical appearance extended up to his waist and then his chest and arms. He had a broad chest that protruded a bit forward.

His fingers were somewhat crooked and sharp like the tip of a pickaxe. There were glowing green lines across his body that was reminiscent of those on Saturn's suit. But while her aesthetics were an extension of her body, his appeared to be what kept him alive.

The skin around the base of his neck was a little tattered and stitched into the mechanical suit. His face was rugged like a middle-aged man's with his cheek bones well-defined and his beard thick and clean. And finally his eyes, which were as blue as a summer sky, gazed not towards but down upon Mew.

"At long last we meet face-to-face, Elemental Overlord." He was slow to speak but direct in his approach.

"I wish I could say 'Its an honor' buuuut..." Mew narroed his eyes and his arms flopped to his sides, "I don't givbe compliments to tyrants, Gravitus."

The man shut his eyes and bellowed a simple, humored chuckle, "I am not surprised that Auris has corrupted your point of view ahead of time."

"Eh, we'll see what's really corrupted soon enough." Mew glared at Gravitus' overall appearance and nudged his head up with a smirk. Then, he leaned into Kairi and whispered, "Is it just me or does he look almost nothing like his statue?"

"Y-You're right..." Kairi replied, her eyes clearly locked onto and disturbed by his neck in particular.

Mew swung his head up and thrust a finger towards Gravitus, "So what's up with the suit of armor?"

"Lets just say I had a terrible run in with a would-be king and was forced to adopt this new body." Gravitus gave the answer and opened his eyes before jumping straight to the next subject.

"Aaah...When I look at you it reminds me of 'him' and his naivety." His lips crept into a mild smile. He then gestured a hand up from his waist and remarked, "So, you are here to make an attempt on my life?"

He was humored by this. And he had every right not to take Mew seriously, given the power he was able to casually flex just by standing. It was almost as crushing as standing on one of Jupiter's moons.

"_Pluto wasn't joking...This guy's a monster..." _With an uneasy smirk Mew told himself, _"But I can't lose focus. Gotta stick to the plan."_

He raised his brows and turned up the sass as he asked Gravitus, "Actually...I was curious to hear your sales pitch. You know, the same thing you told the other Planetary Aurians?"

"Oh?" Gravitus' eyes perked up and he looked at Mew a little more directly than before.

"W-What are you doing?" Kairi whispered in utter shock.

"Just trust me!" Mew hissed from the corner of his mouth before turning his attention to Gravitus.

"Yeah. I want to hear it straight from the horses' mouth..." Mew thrust a pointer finger straight out, "What does the great and powerful Gravitus want?"

"Interesting," Gravitus drew one of his hands towards Mew and had a little more intrigue in his voice going forward, "Perhaps there is hope for you yet, Elemental Overlord."

"Gee, thanks." Mew spat back sardonically.

Gravitus propped his hands up by his chest and curled his fingers inward, "Heroes. Villains. Labels given to the false idols who govern the course of their world's histories through unaccountable acts of 'good' and 'evil'."

He raised his hands towards his shoulders and looked up at the ceiling, his growing louder, "When heroes and villains clash, who suffers the consequences worst of all but the common masses?"

He pointed one finger at Mew and indirectly labeled him a target of his disdain, "I bore witness to the rise and fall of the Elemental Overlord and Dark King. I watched as the Ten Sages played with their own people as pawns. But little did I know that my world carried but a mere fragment of the corruption plaguing the universe."

Gravitus leaned in a bit and laid his open palm out, his voice refusing to yield to tones of outrage, "People latch onto the concepts of heroes and villains because their roles appear so clearly defined. Follow a hero and you shall reach salvation. Obey a villain and you may yet survive. Both lines of thinking are derived from the same emotion – fear."

"Fear, with no hope of an alternative to bring them peace," Gravitus paused to raise his head and return to looking down upon Mew, "But that all changed with my birth. I AM that alternative. A solution unmarred by pre-defined, outdated labels. It is by my hands that the common folk shall know peace without disruption. Freed from their false idols, the people will learn to find the strength within themselves to achieve their dreams."

He then smirked at Mew and softly asked him, "So what do you think? Was that to your satisfaction?"

"_So, the little worm has found his voice..." _"D." crawled out of the woodwork to comment on, his cackles trickling coldly down Mew's spine.

"_This is normally where I'd tell you to be quiet, but..." _Mew bit and pulled back his lower lip, his eyes quivering somewhat as he looked towards the iron clad man.

"_So this is the voice that drew in eight of the strongest Aurians to his cause," _As he stood there pretending to be defiant, he was betrayed by his feet, which felt like they were stepping closer, _"I got to admit, its easy to see why. He talks like he means it..." _

What kept him out of Gravitus' hands, however, were the many doubts that had built up over the course of his time in Sancturia. But for that moment it was scary to Mew just how close he was to throwing all those doubts away and accepting Gravitus' ideals.

He tilted his head at Kairi to reaffirm why he had come this far, then gazed at Gravitus to finally answer his question.

"All that sounds pretty good. Really selling me on your deal..." He threw in a bit of looseness in his tone to try and ensure Kairi he had a plan, "Buuut I hope you don't mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Gravitus brandished his hand out as though offering a ceremonial goblet and replied in kind, "Ask away."

"_Boy do I not like how quickly he answered there..."_ Mew squinted his eyes and started simple, "So how does Sancturia's changes fit into your plans?"

Gravitus withdrew his hand and gave a short, snappy response, "Purpose."

"Purpose?" Mew replied with mild confusion.

"Yes. Purpose," Gravitus' smile creased out as he gazed towards the ceiling, "Aurians of old were treated as little more than sheep in a flock. The Ten Sages their shepherds. Religious bibliography and sanctimonious prayer made the Aurians feel as if they were part of something greater."

He lowered his head and brushed one pointer finger out by his waist, "They weren't allowed a chance to decide for themselves until I came to liberate them from the masters that led them astray."

"Like you're any better...!" Kairi tried to push ahead, her teeth locked in an utterly nasty scowl. Gravitus failed to flinch, and turned his gaze upon her with a humored chuckle.

"How am I, pray tell?" He dismissed her opinion as that of a child's and kept going, knowing she would say no more.

"I have given Aurians purpose. The individual can become what they want without fear of the whole. My Sancturia is devoid of the hive mind mentality that plagued the old," Gravitus then briskly laid his hands out from his hips and remarked, "So consider what you're seen here a preview of what I have and will accomplish on all other worlds, Elemental Overlord. A universe where anyone can accomplish their dreams without fear of being misled. Can you imagine a more beautiful universe than that?"

Mew narrowed his eyes. There was something that felt off about Gravitus' speech but he couldn't peg what it was. So he thought to try and lure that out via another question.

"People should have the right to follow their dreams if it won't hurt anyone else," Mew raised his fingers accusingly towards Gravitus, "So now I'm left wondering why a guy who's soooo in love with peace is making their people still learn how to fight?"

"The answer's simple..." Gravitus murmured.

"_Oooof course it is." _Mew groaned in his head.

"Actions speak louder than words. That's a common human idiom, no?" Gravitus raised his head and had a little sneer on his face, "How ironic that they invented the phrase, considering how little they follow it."

"Speeches on podiums. Promises in advertisements. Your leaders often litter the planet with these 'words'...But when it comes to actions what do they accomplish on their own? Even your greatest men and women have sent others to die in their place for the sake of progress."

His choice of words spoke to Mew on a level he was not comfortable with, but he didn't find the strength within to make him stop.

"There is no place in this universe for peace without violence. Not yet anyways. Heroes. Villains. Any who follow their false platitudes. They will deny what I have to offer and in turn attempt to hurt me through my people. So I allow them to learn how to fight so they can protect their dreams on their own."

Gravitus leaned his head back slightly and punctuated his answer on a rather personal note, "Even the original Elemental Overlord knew that much."

"_There it is again..." _Mew grimaced as he trembled at the knees, _"That feeling that something's wrong." _

He glared at Gravitus and saw in the man's stature a figurehead depicted in ancient scriptures, a legend come to life. He fully, truly believed that he was born for this purpose.

"_But maybe...maybe I'm just wanting him to be wrong," _Mew shook his head, slapped his cheeks, and told himself, _"No, focus. Just keep going. If I'm right, he'll slip up eventually."_

"And you want the Neo Drive because...?" Mew leaned his head in and held onto that last word for a bit.

Gravitus chuckled and closed his eyes, "How much did Auris tell you about the Neo Drive?"

"That it requires the bloodline of the Ten Sages and a certain amount of worthiness?"

"But nothing about what it does..." He whispered with intrigue, "The one with the farthest seeing eyes has the tightest lips, after all."

"W-What is he...?" Kairi turned to Mew but he waved his hand out to whisper, "He's just trying to unnerve you."

Gravitus hummed then took a couple steps to the right, his feet dragging like lead. Behind him lied the pillar, the center containing a massive influx of rainbow energy behind a simple panel of glass.

Gravitus turned head and hands towards the pillar and raised his voice with mild ecstasy, "Marvelous isn't it? This pillar has functioned for more than two-thousand years without flaw to contain this ultimate power, which is no bigger than a thumb...The ultimate power...The Neo Drive..."

Gravitus reached his hand towards the pillar and began to squeeze his hand. But then he dropped it by his hip. A little too late, as Mew was never going to miss that.

Gravitus faced Mew and told him with a smile, "Our Drives are filed under five tiers. But the Neo Drive is in a class all on its own...Tier X."

"X?" Mew inquired.

"In Earth terms, the 'X' refers to the multiplicative factor. Or in Roman numerals, ten. That's because those who wield the Neo Drive have their power multiplied by ten," Gravitus slowly walked in front of the pillar and drew his hand out towards Mew, "And there are many other powers the likes of which have gone unheard of in any other Drive."

Mew squirmed and narrowed his gaze towards Gravitus before saying bluntly, "So, this is all about getting more power?"

"Yes. It is." Gravitus' answer, like all the rest, was frighteningly fast. That was the one question, however, where Mew expected him to pause and think about.

"What?!" Mew widened his eyes and broke character for a moment to express genuine shock. Gravitus stopped pacing at the very center of the pillar and locked his firm gaze upon Mew.

"This **should** come as no surprise to you..." He said with a deep laugh as he leaned his head back, "As the Elemental Overlord you **are** familiar with the kind of power is out there lurking in the shadows of space, right?"

That was way too personal sounding of a question. Mew refused to dignify that with a response and spent that time recomposing himself after he nearly blew it.

"Haaaa, perhaps not..." Gravitus then took the chance to mock him with a smile before placing his hand back underneath his cape.

"There are entities out there that made even the original Elemental Overlord kneel to their beck and call. And those entities are still alive to this day. Sitting. Lurking. _Waiting_."

"Waiting for **what**, exactly?" Mew remarked with a scoff.

"For one to stand and attempt to defy their undeserved reign. They who lurk in the shadows demand nothing more than perfection from their universe yet allow imperfections to run free. But I **will **not just be the one to defy them, I **will **be the one to eliminate them."

"And what makes you so damn certain that you're the one?" Mew asked with his head leaned back and his eyes mustering up their best narrowed glare.

Gravitus stood completely still and raised his right hand up. Mew lurched back and drew his hands out, his heart skipping a beat. But the man merely clenched his fist without any aftereffect and brought it to his chest, close to where his heart once was.

"Because I was born."

His response was simple and almost insulting after all the other detail he had put into his other speeches so far. So for the sake of his own higher expectations, Mew turned to the man and asked him with a laugh, "That can't _seriously _be all there is to it?"

Gravitus unfurled and waved his fingers up his face, dismissively turning his head away from Mew as he replied in full, "Forgive me, I sometimes forget that you were handed your power on a silver platter."

Mew clammed up and slanted his brows towards the man, who deigned to face him with a smirk as he brought his hand right back down to his hip.

"My entire life from the day I was born has been a trial of endurance. My power was so great that my mother died in childbirth. My own father demeaned me and beat me. The Ten Sages denounced me as a person and treated me as their slave," Gravitus then stretched his arms out and presented himself forward, raising his voice a couple decibels higher than his norm, "But I **endured**. Because I was born to be a survivor. My power, an anomaly among Aurians!"

His expression cracked a more wide-eyed grin as he declared with booming certainty in his voice, "Make no mistake...I AM worthy of the Neo Drive. Perhaps not in blood, but that has merely proven to be another test for me to endure and triumph over."

Mew brought himself back upright and his eyes slowly widened all the way open. This was not a cry of insanity. Gravitus believed every word he spoke and nothing could be said to challenge his viewpoint.

"_This guy __**IS **__for real..." _The man's voice left a haunting chill crawling down Mew's spine, a feeling whose intensity raised as Gravitus steadied his body and raised one finger towards him.

"Now, since I have answered so many of your questions you better not have any qualms about answering one of mine..."

Mew grit his teeth and fired out a quick "Go right ahead..."

Gravitus withdrew his hand to beneath his cape and asked, "What have **you **ever accomplished as an Elemental Overlord?"

Mew went silent and the man went right ahead and interpreted for him, "That's right. Nothing. You were given great power and with it have done nothing to change your world."

"Ah don't chap my hide, I've done some things for the planet." Mew spat with a mild bit of anger leading his thoughts.

"Watering a few plants? Shooing away a few hurricanes?" Gravitus smirked as Mew's body lurched back and he paused mid-gasp, "Oh yes. I know quite a bit about your..._achievements_."

He put his hand to his mouth and let out a dry cough, then wiggled the hand before his chest and remarked in a more pitying tone of voice, "All the good your powers can do, going to waste as you lounge in your home."

Once he was done shaking his head Gravitus stared at Mew with a deceptive smile and told him, "That is because you are cursed as a 'Hero', so you believe that you can only flex your powers when faced against a 'Villain'. You do not care for the common folk."

Mew twitched and then firmed his glare towards Gravitus. He felt that feeling again. Now there was a point to listening to that man again as he extended his hand towards him and asked, "But your powers should not go to waste. Join me. Forgo your identity as a 'Hero' and become someone who can truly make a difference."

Kairi suddenly stepped ahead of Mew, stamped her feet firmly in the ground and screamed so loud to demand that she be heard, "You're full of shit!"

Gravitus grimaced and tilted his gaze towards the girl whom he had barely the need to acknowledge so far, and listened to her rant and rave, "You say you care about people but that's all a lie! You don't care about anyone but yourself! Y-You're nothing but a scoundrel!"

She was trembling from head-to-toe but had thus far gave the strongest act of defiance towards Gravitus. Even Mew had to admit he was a little jealous of her and ashamed towards himself.

Gravitus closed his eyes and trembled with laughter as he smiled. He then let out a long sigh as he remarked, "I will get to you eventually dear child, do not worry. But for now..."

He returned his hand back towards Mew and repeated himself in the form of a question, "Do you accept my offer?"

Mew had to pause and think so he closed his eyes and crossed his arms against his chest.

"I don't think you're wrong Gravitus. There's a lot of heroes out there who waste their time on the spectacle of their job over worrying about the common folk..." Mew thrust his eyes open and continued with a firm sense of renewal in his voice, "But just because there are some heroes who are bad at their job doesn't make it an outdated concept. Heroes_ can_ still inspire greatness in people."

"They can, certainly. But why risk that one-in-a billion chance when the common folk should be given the freedom to become great by their own merits?"

"I don't know the answer to that question. You're asking a guys who's total novice at his job, remember?" Mew then pulled his arms off slowly and said, "But there's one thing I do know..."

He turned his body to the right and brandished his left pointer finger straight ahead at Gravitus, kicking up wind to brush up the bottom of his cape as he yelled, "No matter what you say my heart won't escape these feelings of doubt towards the kind of man you claim to be Gravitus!"

Gravitus closed his eyes and carelessly brushed the upper shoulder of his cape free of dust. Then he lowered his hand to his hip and leaned his head back with a smile.

"'No' it is then," He then shook his head and remarked, "A pity that your heart has led you astray, Elemental Overlord."

"What're you gonna do? Kill me?" Mew smirked as he clenched his fist confidently, "Face it Gravitus! You can't even _get_ the Neo Drive! Your plan was shit outta luck the moment you were born!"

"As you threaten the peace I have worked so hard to create I will do what I must..." _Shockingly_ there was no hesitation in his voice. He raised his right hand and once again made Mew assume that a battle was to begin. But then he curled all but his pointer finger inward, aiming it right at him.

"But do not mistake my actions as ones born of hatred. In fact, I wish to thank you."

"Thank me?" Mew was as confused as he'll ever be, "For what?"

"You speak as if you have denied me access to the Neo Drive..." His finger glided from Mew over to Kairi, his tone of voice dribbling with a mild satisfaction upon saying, "And yet, you brought my daughter right to me."

The air in the room fell stagnant. Mew's heart went feint, and he could feel the color leave his skin. His heart then thumped loudly, a drum beaten with sticks of rage.

"W-What did you just say...?" Mew gasped stoically. He slowly turned to the right and saw Kairi frozen up, her knees locked together and trembling. She curled her fingers up by her chest and shook her head.

"No...no..." Kairi raised her head back and pulled away from Gravitus biting her teeth and her skin as pale as fresh ice, "Y-Y-You're lying...! You...you can't be...!"

"I am. And you are," Gravitus took one step forward and with a gesture of the hand and smile that he believed was an act of courtesy said, "I cannot even begin to describe what an honor it is to meet you at last...My child."

Kairi tripped on her heels and fell on her butt and palms. Her teeth were trembling, and she scraped her skin along the ground to try and retreat. She continued to shake her head, her thoughts riddled with confusion.

Mew shifted his head towards Gravitus and his glare narrowed. His irises started turning yellow as he growled, "If this is your attempt at a joke _its not funny_..."

"I do not joke, Elemental Overlord," Gravitus leaned back into himself and held his head high with pride, drawing his hand out towards Kairi, "My daughter is the culmination of years of research and patience. And I have waited so, so very long for her to arrive here."

"Do you think I'm stupid?!" Mew proclaimed as his hands clenched into fists, "I know how children are born...And if you expect me to believe that Auris willingly-!"

"But she did," Gravitus replied with not a hint of detachment in his voice, "She accepted her punishment quietly."

"...Punishment?!" Mew was barely audible in his fury, and the tint of yellow in his irises was burning bright.

"That woman is no saint. She has committed crimes beyond compare. But she knows what kind of monster she is. So, it was only natural that she would accept her penance in whatever manner that I saw fit for her to receive..."

"_It has been so hard to love my children. They are living proof of my failures as a person..." _Auris' words repeated in Mew's head. Over and over they echoed the pain in her voice and misery spanning centuries of time.

Mew saw darkness in a haze around his field of vision. The demon's whispers begging him to "Let it go". His seething rage boiled over, threatening to snap his mind in two. But with what little sanity he had left, he drew his sword in his right hand and flicked the white trigger.

With a brief flash of light he charged straight at Gravitus in his angelic form with his katana drawn back and an echoing proclamation of, "YOU BASTARD!"

Gravitus stood still and flicked his left hand out from behind his cape. His hand glowed green and the next thing Mew knew he was locked completely in place, surrounded by the same green glow. He grunted out of his tightly grit teeth and was a second away from swinging his katana down upon Gravitus' head.

But the man just stared at him with all the effort it took to survey a statue, mocking him with cold, emotionless words, "Why do you insist on hating me so, Elemental Overlord? How have **I **ever done _you _any harm?"

With a gentle flick of his fingers Gravitus threw Mew straight back into the wall above the staircase and kept him pinned there. There the forces of gravity slowly collapsed upon Mew's body, digging into his arms and legs first. Mew was offered freedom only so his grunts of agony could fill the air.

Kairi's head slowly wobbled back to stare up at Mew. His strongest form, made helpless in the blink of an eye...

"There. Now you can hate me." Gravitus wore a mild smile and kept his hand aglow by his hip as he took a couple steps towards Kairi.

Her head jolted towards him as his shadow was cast upon her fallen body. He stood in place and looked down at her with an unnerving smile.

"You even have my eyes..."

She opened her mouth but failed to even let out a gasp. She curled her fingers into her palm, her fingernails scraping against the ground. Gravitus extended his hand towards her and said, "Stand up my child. It is time to accept your destiny."

"I-I-Its not me..." Kairi whispered in meek defiance.

"It has to be you. There can be no one else," Gravitus lowered his hand for a moment and closed his eyes, "Ah. But your mother kept you ignorant for this long. I can almost understand your confusion..."

"The requirements for the Neo Drive are simple on paper, but harder to reach in execution. Regarding the bloodline. It requires a descendant whose blood is purely that of one of the Ten Sages. There were many methods used by their predecessors to keep the purity intact. Magic...DNA Splicing...Even incest. But by the end of the Elemental Overlord's era there was only one Aurian alive that still carried the blood of the Ten Sages."

"That's right. Your mother. But if any other blood mixed with hers it would sully the genetic requirements necessary to obtain the Neo Drive...Or so I thought."

"Your mother is afflicted with a particular curse, though...I am _sure _she told you all about that. It was that very curse that proved to be my blessing. Her curse keeps her body free of impurities. And that extends to her reproductive organs..."

"Shut up..." Kairi clamped her hands against her ears and buried her head down against her legs, "Shutupshutupshutup!"

"The Anti-Genesis Theorem purged the impurities from my sperm but kept the reproductive materials intact. The gestation process proceeds without a hitch, and from the embryo a child pure with the Ten Sages blood is born."

"That was step one. Step two was merely a natural extension of step one," Gravitus laid a hand on his chest and said with an earnest belief that he was saying the right things, "My raw power combined with your mother's mastery over aura. With our natural talent combined there could be no child more worthy of the Neo Drive than that."

Gravitus raised his head and indulged himself with pride, "It took two-thousand years and countless attempts for everything to stick perfectly into place but of this I have no doubts..."

He looked down at Kairi and murmured softly with joy, "You **are** the one. My perfect child."

Kairi loosened her hands from her face and they dropped to her hips. She could not ignore his voice no matter how hard she tried. Everything around her felt like it was collapsing upon her, leaving her little room to breathe. Her staggered breaths resounded like echoes in her ears.

There were only two people in this compressed space. Her, and the man she utterly despised with every fiber of her being...The man who, after all this time, turned out to be her father.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Kairi snapped and rose to her feet. She drew her staff and smashed it down upon Gravitus' body. She then pounded him over and over and over again, her finger bones cracking under pressure as she proceeded to not even leave a dent in his frame.

Gravitus flicked his left pointer finger up and shoved Kairi back to the top of the stairs with gravity. He then took a couple steps back and remark in a cold tone of voice, "I do not believe for a moment that that's all you're capable of."

Kairi's hung head rose up with a fire in her eyes and she charged straight at him again, her feet tearing up parts of the floor as they pounded down. She rammed her staff into his chest and pounded away again to no effect. This time however, Gravitus tried to speak to her on a personal level.

"I too understand what its like to be denied one's purpose for so long. You are angry. You are scared. But you are not alone. The truth is not a burden you need to bear on your own shoulders. Trust in me. And together we will bring peace to the entire universe."

Pure rage guided every action Kairi took. She grunted and gasped for air as she continued bashing Gravitus' body. The man perked his brows and flicked a finger up again to push Kairi back.

She came running at him some more. Only this time Gravitus wasn't quite as amused.

"...Perhaps I need to put forth a little more effort myself..." Gravitus drew his right hand straight down from his cape and the palm opened up. A metal rod shot out, extending to the length of five feet once gripped in his palm. Then a foot long scythe blade made of green aura shunted out from the top, its tip pointed at the ground.

As Kairi jumped in to attack she was blind to the weapon being swung at her. Gravitus sliced straight upward, the blade cleaving through her dangling headband while the force of his swing blew her away.

Kairi hit the ground hard on her back and her staff fell out of her hand. Her whole backside felt sore as she pulled herself up and punched the ground with her right fist. Then she felt something missing from her neck and scrambled to pat the area around it.

She swung her head around then looked at the ground. The headband lied at her feet in two clean, perfect halves. She pulled herself forward and grabbed one half in each hand. For a second that the halves were hung, a stone dropped out and tapped along the ground.

It rolled in place, stopping and facing Kairi with the inscription of a pair of angelic wings safeguarding a person upon it.

"I-Is this a...D-Drive...?" Before she took a look at she felt something odd about the broken headband. Her thumbs rubbed up against the side of the plates and gently pushed the fabric up. It wasn't something like a minor tear either. By putting a little more effort into it, more of the cloth could be lifted up.

And underneath, the two halves of the headband had something written on them. With her hands still shaking from a combination of pain and rage it took Kairi a moment to piece the two together to make a complete sentence.

"_You have always been my light shining brightly in the darkest sea. I may not be the mother you've always wanted, but you have always been the daughter I needed. And you never had to prove that to me. Sincerely, your loving mother...Auris Aurora."_

"Mo...mom...?" Kairi curled her bottom lip and her eyes started to swell with tears. A message on the headband. An Aurian Drive hidden within. Both of these gifts delivered to her in what was about to be her darkest hour.

Kairi brought the cloth on the headband to her eyes to dry the tears that flowed constantly down her face. The voices surrounding her saw differently what was happening to her at that moment.

"R-Run Kairi! Get out of here while you still c-can...AAGHH!" Mew tried to resist Gravitus' power but the man tightened down, then turned his attention towards his child.

"You will stand. And you **will **show me your power."

These were noises that were easily drowned out. Alone, Kairi floated in her subconscious. There was nothing but darkness, and silence.

"_What am I supposed to do?"_

"_I can't do it."_

"_I'm not worthy."_

"_I'm a screw-up."_

"_Shina...help..." _

"...Ah." Kairi pulled the headband away from her face, the cloth now soaked with her tears. She turned it around, and saw her big sister's broken reflection on the metal plate.

"...After all this time...I still keep asking you to help me," One tear trickled down her cheek as she raised her head away from the headband and felt she was staring out into the darkness, "But...you _aren't _here anymore."

A light no bigger than her pinky pierced the endless darkness, calling to Kairi with the gentle sound of wind chimes. Her knees pushed off the ground and her hands pointed down, with the headband sliding off onto the ground.

"But just because you aren't here in person...Doesn't mean that you're gone." Kairi stood on her feet and started to walk past the headband. Memories of her time with her mother and Shina passed her by as phantoms, while the light at the end grew bigger and brighter.

"All the memories I have...Is the proof that our time together was real. That you loved me...A-And I loved you." Kairi's feet kicked up the pace, the memories passing her as blurs in the wind.

"And...I understand now. That that's all I ever needed to keep going forward. All this time, I thought you had abandoned me...But you never did, did you? You, mom, Gabriel...M-Mew...Even if you're not at my side, you will always be a part of me."

A shadow of Shina's visage stood between Kairi and the bright passageway at the end. Without pausing to blink, Kairi held her right hand out and pushed right past the shadow. For a brief moment, the shadow closed their eyes and wore a proud smile as she stood back-to-back with her little sister.

Kairi bit her teeth down, her heart fluttering as the light ahead began to wash right over her.

"And that's why..." She opened her tear-dripped eyes as wide as she could. The shadow behind her turning to light and attaching as faint wings on her back.

"I'm finally ready to stand on my own two feet!"

Kairi widened her eyes as she snapped back into reality. She looked around, her eyes now dried of tears and her body feeling light as a feather. She looked down at the ground and found that she was standing up with her arms crossed before her waist and one hand covering her bracelet.

She stared at her hand and slowly peeled it back. The Aurian Drive hidden within the headband was now on it, a glinted streak of white swiping over it for a brief moment.

Kairi's body was trembling. The pain of the last two years now felt like a shadow that she had cast off her body and left in the darkness where it truly belonged. All that was left was her, and the man responsible for all that pain.

"Gravitus...!" She swung her head up and gnashed her teeth at the iron-clad tyrant as he stood with a smirk plastered over his slimy face.

"A second Aurian Drive..." Gravitus' smile turned into a grin as he uttered in splendid glee, "Auris, you crafty minx..."

"That's right Gravitus. This is...!" Kairi thrust her arms out before her waist and slammed down on her new power without hesitation, "My Angel Drive!"

A bright white light exploded out of the Drive and covered Kairi's body in a chrysalis of aura. Her cap was blown off and her hair untied itself. The light lasted mere seconds but captivated Mew with an agape look of shock and awe.

"K-Kairi...?" He stuttered as the veil was unraveled and Kairi stood there, transformed.

She now wore a white silk, buttonless blouse with sleeves ending under the armpits. White metallic feathers adorned her shoulders and wrapped around to her chest, which was covered by a thin protective plate. A knee-length white skirt with a green trim around the bottom was kept in place thanks to a leather belt with the headband's plate adorned on the center. A green cloth sash wrapped over her shoulders and levitated in place. Her legs were protected by leather grieves with tight green velcro straps.

When Kairi opened her eyes her irises were full of white light, and a flash of six angelic wings appeared around her back. She stood tall and swung her body to the right, summoning her staff straight into her hand.

Gravitus' grin turned upright as he murmured with ecstasy, "Yes. This is more like it. You **are** the one."

"That's right you bastard...!" Kairi thrust her staff out alongside her waste and proclaimed, "I am the one...who is going to kill you!"

"Kill me...?" Gravitus chuckled and tightened his hand around his scythe, his fingers cracking like bones, "You are still young. But you shall come to see things my way in due time, my daughter."

"You tormented my mother! You took my sister away from me!" Kairi steadied her body towards Gravitus and proclaimed at the top of her lungs, "You...ARE NOT MY FATHER!"

She lunged herself straight at her mortal enemy, who braced himself with little care shown in his posture...

_Next Time: Crawling Darkness_


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: Gravitus II: Out of the Shadows**

Kairi ran at Gravitus with the silver at her back and the weight of the world off her shoulders. This speed she felt saw her crossing the gap to her foe in the blink of an eye and crashing her staff down upon the length of his scythe.

Vibrant light exploded forth like a star bursting to life. Kairi dropped right to the ground and swung her staff again as the scythe retreated.

Gravitus turned his blade slightly to snag her staff and lock the two together. The thimble wide blade was sharp enough to cut lightning. Gravitus held it tight in one hand and saw no cause to raise the other.

"This is a start..." He murmured with a grin, "But I want to see more. Show me the strength of our power!"

He turned and ground his blade down the staff, skinning the paint off and throwing sparks to the wayside.

The light show couldn't force Kairi's eyes shut as she triumphantly declared, "This isn't your power!"

With them flaring wide-open Kairi pushed her staff down along the length of Gravitus' weapon, both racing to strike the hands that held them.

"It's mine!" Kairi bashed her oppressor's fingers and his grip loosened, ending the stalemate.

She leaped and twirled around to build up strength. Gravitus smirked and swung his scythe up, putting the blade squarely behind Kairi's neck. Kairi had to make a split-second decision: Commit to the attack, or brace herself.

Her mind raced to choose but her body created a third option based on instinct. Her body felt lighter than air and next thing she knew she was back on the ground.

She took a second to catch her breath. Gravitus locked a curious gaze upon her while tugging his scythe down. Immense gravitational pressure skirted Kairi's left shoulder and gathered energy to thicken the scythe blade.

His curiosity desiring to be satiated, Gravitus locked his feet down and swung his weapon for Kairi's head. Kairi gasped and again that weightless sensation pulled her left. In that fleeting moment she saw nothing but white.

It was her. Her body, becoming white light. And Gravitus' attack flied right by, unleashing the gathered energy in a green scar that tore into the sides of the room.

Gravitus looked just as perplexed as Kairi felt as he lowered his hand and slid his grip back to the weapon's center.

This power Kairi had felt great, but it was unexplored territory for her. She couldn't rely on pure instincts to bail her out everytime...But if there was one power she was confident wielding, it was the staff in her hands.

"_Remember your training!" _Kairi grit her teeth and hunched down to strike forth with a lunge. Her speed caught Gravitus off-guard as she knocked his right arm skyward with an uppercut from her staff.

Then, in one fell swoop, she brought her staff to her other and was now in the perfect position to go for the man's chin.

Gravitus' expression stayed dauntless and he hammered the ground with the bottom of his scythe. A bubble coated lightly in green electricity expanded out to shove Kairi away.

Kairi swung the end of her staff down to slow herself. Doing so gave her an idea, courtesy of watching Mew fight. She holstered a good amount of light into the end of her staff and ran forward, forcing the energy to ignite in a flurry of fire.

She swung up to let it go, turning a spark into a wildfire darting straight for Gravitus. The man raised his weapon and parted the energy with insulting ease.

Kairi flung herself through the center of the energy and was already mid-swing for Gravitus' head. Gravitus flinched and swung his left hand out to grab the staff and throw Kairi smack down behind her.

Kairi quickly rolled to her feet and hunched down near the pillar holding the Neo Drive. She looked up and saw the energy holding Mew flicker out. Gravitus looked down at his hand then with a smile squeezed it tight to slam Mew back into the wall, then withdrew his hand to the shadow of his cape.

"Marvelous, simply marvelous..." Gravitus quietly swung his scythe to the ground and dragged the tip forward. "Gently" he slashed out to send a shockwave of pure gravity towards Kairi.

Kairi rolled under it and lunged forward, her body becoming light to speed between Gravitus' legs. He turned to meet her as she stood and swung, countering with his scythe.

He matched every attack with a one-handed swing and smiled all the while. But then he felt pressure at his feet, his body beginning to slide back centimeters at a time.

Kairi was attacking without any awareness of what she was doing. For every swing she took an azure afterimage aped her attack with nearly equal force. It lagged a millisecond behind, creating a harmonious dance of silver and blue. One image became two. Two became three. What started as centimeters turned to inches.

Gravitus' smile faded and he stamped his scythe down to force Kairi away. Doing so dispelled the afterimages but failed to temper her desire to keep on fighting forward.

Gravitus threw his scythe out spinning towards her, using gravity to turn it into a miniature black hole. Kairi grabbed her staff in both hands and saw defense as the best option. The scythe was relentless and not something she could slow down even by putting her all into it.

Gravitus held his right hand out above his head and ripped the scythe away in that direction. It then tore into the wall on its way back to Kairi. She bashed her staff into it to force it past, only to have to repeat the process when it flew on by again.

Kairi stayed still and braced for every impact. She turned to Gravitus and saw an opening. One more deflection was all it took for her to strike forth.

Her light enveloped body ground to a halt two inches before Gravitus, surrounded by gravity. Kairi was made to look up at Gravitus' smug face as he suspended his right hand over her, his fingers dangling like he had her by strings.

"Even light bends to the laws of physics..." He said calmly before shoving Kairi away with a flick of the wrist.

Kairi gleamed back and saw the scythe flying at her. She pulled her head back in an attempt to duck under it, only for the blade to scrape across the front of her face and chest. Then it hit her knees as she attempted to flip back onto her feet.

She wobbled upon landing, the skin on her knees looking a tad red. She then watched as Gravitus not only grabbed the scythe perfectly in the center, but seemed to drain it dry of a familiar white energy.

The weakness she felt wasn't from pain, but from his weapon harvesting some of her aura. It didn't make him stronger, but watching him breathe in deep through his nostrils was an utterly sickening sight.

"I relent..." Gravitus gasped with a mild degree of pleasure in his voice, "This **is** your power!"

"Grr..." Kairi scowled.

"But you need to be taught how to wield it, as you will the Neo Drive..." Gravitus said, his scythe held limber at his hip.

Kairi stood tall with her eyes closed and replied, "Forget it. I'm confident I can figure this out just fine on my own."

"Oh?" Gravitus murmured.

"What can I say?" Kairi snapped her fingers up before her chest and glared straight at Gravitus, "I had a pretty good teacher."

Gravitus grimaced and found himself surrounded by swords of light pointed at his body. They lunged in, getting caught up in his thick aura. He squeezed his hand to cast them aside, a couple crashing through the glass ceiling.

The glass shards reflected Gravitus smile to Kairi, and her glare to him. She widened her eyes to the limit and subtly snapped her fingers behind her back.

"Khhh...!" Gravitus grunted and started to lurch forward. The tip of a large blade of light protruded out of his chest, connected to the front of the pillar.

Kairi ran ahead and smashed her staff into the newly formed wound. She roared and heaved the man off the ground over her head. His will struggled against hers, and he barely managed to land his hands on the ground before his head.

Kairi ripped her staff free and thrust it towards a more solid spot. Gravitus grabbed the staff with gravity and dropped it to the ground, bringing part of Kairi down with it.

Kairi tried to life it up, but it wouldn't budge. Gravitus' nasty smile told her she didn't have much time to waste. So she dispelled her staff and leapt over the man. In the nick of time too, as Gravitus mentally commanded his scythe to attack from behind.

When a downward slash failed, it curved its flight and flung itself straight for her back. Kairi turned and thrust her palms up, the staff nestled against them.

The scythe hooked its blade into the space behind it then glowed heavily with Gravitus' aura. It dragged her straight down, putting her knuckles against the ground. Gravitus walked right up, pulled his weapon's handle to his grasp, then marked his triumph with a grin.

To add injury to insult he wrenched his scythe out from behind the staff and sliced across Kairi's chest. The force of the swing made her stand, and the bits of blood dripping from under her shoulder forcing her left hand to it.

"You may hate me, but remember that it is my blood that flows in your veins." Gravitus horded this fact over Kairi as a matter of pride towards himself.

Kairi squeezed her wound and blood dripped between her fingers. She then grit her teeth and threw her hand out to toss the blood into Gravitus' eyes.

"Ghh!" Gravitus growled and put one hand to his face to rub the blood out.

"Now!" Kairi jumped and smashed her staff into the left of Gravitus' face. As much as she wanted his neck to break she had to settle for forcing him around.

She then split her staff into its whip form and strapped it around his neck. He gasped as Kairi crossed her arms, tightening it up.

He got on his hands and knees and dug his fingertips into the ground. With one exhausted wheeze he swung his right fist back and punched Kairi with a burst of gravity. The shockwave tore the tile off the ground around him and threw her into the wall just above the stairs.

Gravitus to his knees and expanded his weakly breath laughing. Kairi's weapon dropped into his hand, and dangled off the sides. Kaiir slowly stood up with an aching back and turned up her head to see Mew still unable to free himself.

"I choked my father to death when I was only twelve..." Gravitus spoke these chilling words in a cordial tone and levitated around until he faced Kairi.

She stared at him with a fiery glare and scowl of disgust as he spoke with an unperturbed smile, "I consider it to have been my Rite of Passage to prove that I was worthy of my power."

Gravitus dangled Kaiir's weapon before his face and his haunting, merry chuckle filled the dead air, "After all a judge must be fair. Even flesh and blood isn't exempt if their ill-will threatens the peace."

"You're twisted...!" Kairi growled.

"Perhaps your Rite of Passage will mirror mine," Gravitus began crushing Kairi's weapon between his fingers, "But unlike my cur of a 'father', I do not intend to die like a dog..."

Kaiir thrust her hand out and dispelled then called her staff back into her grasp. But crushing the weapon was just a bonus for him. When he squeezed his hand, it made the whole room quake.

Gravitus slowly backed away, and Kairi began her advance. She stopped on the first step forward as a brick nearly grazed the front of her face. Dozens of bricks shot from the walls like bullets, separating the two fighters.

Kairi closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She could feel when and where the bricks would fly. Then she let her breath free and looked past them with her real eyes, focusing only on her real target.

Kairi shot forth as light then stopped to throw her staff in the way of a brick. She moved a couple steps forward and switched sides to protect it.

Gravitus flicked his wrist out and more bricks were added to the mix. Kairi grabbed her staff and swung it around, using afterimages to prolong how long she'd be protected. Even so a couple smashed into her arms and legs and left gravelly wounds in the skin.

She winced then widened her eyes and kept moving forward. She sped forth as a bolt of light then upon emerging sent her staff spinning around her body. An impenetrable wall to keep the bricks away.

Gravitus smiled and raised his hand high above his head. His scythe hung over Kairi until his hand dropped, where it then did too. Kairi commanded her staff to intercept the blade horizontally, stalling it from hitting her.

A few more steps took her out of the hazard zone and put her a few feet away from Gravitus. The man nestled his hands by his cape and chuckled.

"Now what will you do?" He murmured with intrigue.

"Now..." Kairi curled her fists and filled them with light, "I will prove how weak you really are!"

Kairi ran a couple steps forward and tossed miniature balls of light towards Gravitus' body. He flexed his fingers and caught the balls inches away, then used his other hand to start dragging his scythe back his way.

Kairi backflipped right over the scythe and threw a few more balls at the one closest to Gravitus' face, increasing its size. Then a snap was all it took to burst it wide-open and blind the man with scouring light.

Her opening received, Kairi dove straight down and smashed her light-infused fist across the front of Gravitus' face. The punch released a flash of light to prolong his blindness, giving her the chance to rip her staff from his scythe's control and bash him across the chest.

His armor dented, his mighty power useless to him. Kairi bashed him harder across the chest a second time, tearing away the plating and revealing the hollow confines within.

"Just like I thought. Empty..." Kairi reined in her staff and tugged it back like readying a javelin. It filled with light, transforming into a piercing spiral.

"LIKE YOUR HEART!" She tossed the javelin point-blank through Gravitus' chest and it penetrated through the back. In a second the man was torn off his feet and rammed into the Neo Drive's chamber. Though Kairi could not penetrate the pillar, there was enough of a dent to suspend the man in place for a few brief moments.

Gravitus grunted as his eyes were finally allowed to open and his body, weakened, dropped to the ground. He landed upon a foot and knee, scraping his right hand upon the kneecap as he started to push himself up. All the while he laughed, as if nothing could ever truly make his sanity break.

Kairi stared deep into the man's serene eyes and angrily yelled at him, "Are you satisfied now?!"

He raised his head with a narrow grin and inquired as to the nature of Kairi's bitter words, "With your determination...or your power...?"

"Both you fucking bastard!" She screamed with a gargly tone of rage.

Gravitus ripped Kairi's staff from his chest and she recalled it back into her hand, pushing it behind her back and keeping her guard up as the man continued to laugh.

"Hahaha...! You have your mother's determination...And all the flaws it warrants..." Gravitus stood tall before Kairi and lifted the left of his face with a sneer, "But your power? I am only partially satisfied..."

Kairi steeled her feet to the ground and tucked her staff up against her hip, ready to keep going, "Well I don't care! I'm ending this now!"

She pushed a couple steps forward only to hear the sound of bones crunching behind her. She turned her head back and a worried expression plastered her face as she saw Mew's chest being pulled away from the wall, separate from the rest of his pinned body.

"You have no power over me daughter," Gravitus' left hand began to squeeze shut slowly at a time, "Not so long as you cling to your sentimentality towards this boy."

Mew's ribs were indenting his skin as he growled out a yell of defiance, "F-Forget about me! Kill him now!"

"I-I..." Kairi stared at Mew for a few seconds then turned towards Gravitus. There were so many words she wanted to shout at him for his cruelty, but for now she stilled her hand and waited for his arrogance to give her an opening.

"That's more like it. Now we shall move on to the second phase of your test..." Gravitus raised his right hand to his face, the back poised towards Kairi to give her a crystal clear view of it.

"It has been a while since I've had to use this power...But this does feel rather apropos." The gadgetry within the back of his hand whirred and pushed open a circular slot on his wrist. Behind it lied an Aurian Drive, one as pitch black as space and littered with specks of white, sparkling dust for stars.

Kairi's pupils narrowed as a dread sensation filled the air. As she stared at the black stone she heard a loud heartbeat coming from afar, like the universe itself was throbbing with life.

"W-What is that thing...?" She asked.

"My first gift was the power to control the strongest of the four fundamental forces of nature..." Gravitus slowly drew his left hand up to his wrist, curling all but his middle and finger in.

"My second gift...Was the power to bend the incalculable depths of space to my whim," Gravitus hovered his fingers over the Drive and remarked in an enrapturing tone of voice, "So if you can even manage to scratch me...Then and only then will your power satisfy me, daughter."

His fingers dropped upon the Drive like a hammer. Kairi felt faint as the air she breathed became twisted. Gravitus pulled his arms down to his hips, letting out a long grunt that slowly turned into a baritone moan of excitement. Green electricity crackled throughout his body, snapping off of him and turning the walls it touched to dust in an instant.

"UuuuurrrAAAAAAAHHH!" The moment Gravitus squeezed his fists the electricity turned black as soot and the glass ceiling shattered. Kairi swung her arms up to deflect the shards but remained in awe of Gravitus' power. It just kept rising, like a geyser without a peak.

His power spurned the docile weather and forced all clouds across the planet to condense over Sancturia. The condensation within reacted poorly to his power smiting them, turning all of them dark gray, their innards rumbling with loud, tormenting thunder.

Gravitus levitated off the ground, his presence invoking the lowest of the low on the divine pantheon. Primordial fear stretched throughout the atmosphere as the planet was forced to recall the days of its manifestation into the universe. The water below the city lashed about uncontrollably, throwing the icebergs into disarray.

And finally the walls surrounding the highest tier of the pyramid were tugged towards Gravitus' power, where with but a simple breath, he sent their remains tumbling down the sides of the structure.

He held his head back and breathed in the chaotic atmosphere with a smile, then lurched it forward nice and slow to gaze down upon his frightened daughter. She was speechless towards what she witnessed. There was no manner of language on this planet that could describe the power Gravitus wielded.

"I don't usually enjoy demonstrating my power..." Gravitus' smile crept from cheek-to-cheek as he whispered with an indulgent sense of ecstasy, "But for once, this does put a smile on my face."

"_H-How could he still have this much power?! It shouldn't be possible for an Aurian this strong to exist!" _Kairi was caving in to her innermost fears and could barely maintain eye contact with the man, _"A-And after I came this far, just to..." _

Gravitus snapped his fingers to grab Kairi's attention back to him, then told her in a booming tone of voice, "Come and face me...And accept your destiny at your father's side!"

He rose higher into the sky until his eyes could no longer see his daughter as any bigger than an ant. And that is what she felt like. A minuscule, powerless, ant.

"_How can I beat him now...? He's more powerful than everyone..." _Kairi was feeling the weight of Gravitus' power crushing her from all sides. She needed a sign of hope, no matter how small it might be. And for her, that hope came from a familiar source.

"Unghh...That sucked..."

She spun around immediately and found Mew pulling himself up off the ground. He was still in his other form, but definitely not in the best of shapes. Yet even with the skies on fire with lightning and gloom and doom present in the atmosphere Mew cocked a smile and strolled on up towards Kairi.

"But hey, at least all that showboating distracted him long enough for me to break outta there!" Mew wagged his finger towards the man in the sky then hung it low, murmuring in a faint tone of worry, "Oh...That...might be a problem."

Kairi swung her hands down to her hips and proclaimed at the top of her lungs, "Might? Might?! This isn't the time to joke around! How are we supposed to beat him now?!"

Mew barely looked at her as he waved his hand out and said, "Relax will ya? Its not the end of the world..._yet_."

This could've just been Mew being Mew. Or, he could actually have a plan. He planted his hands on his back and did a stretch to get his cracked spine a little more in order. The bones snapped back into place and he recoiled with a grunt of pain.

"Augh, that smarts..." He then propped his head back to look at Gravitus.

Kairi shook her head and wondered aloud, "Do you actually have a plan Mew?"

"Yeah. I do," Mew thrust a finger up briefly at the man and remarked, "You gotta keep remembering...Nobody's invincible. Nobody."

"_He's speaking so confidently but..." _Kairi's gut turned a little and she laid a hand on her chest, _"Why does that fill me with dread?"_

"If you know his weakness then lets work together! Maybe if we do-"

"No can do," Mew shook his head and turned slightly to face her, waving one hand up with a smile, "I gotta be the one to do it."

Kairi furrowed her brows and mumbled under her breath, "I knew it..."

She then swung her hand out and yelled, "Why can't it be us?! Why do you always insist on doing it alone?!"

Mew faced her fully and swung his hands around by his head with a forced grin as he replied, "I got my reasons! You gotta trust me on this one ok!"

"Gravitus defeated you once already! You **need** my help whether you like it or not!" Kairi asserted herself right in Mew's face but he still acted his goofy self.

"I appreciate the offer but this is a one-person job Kairi!"

"Do you think I'm not _strong enough_?!"

"You are! But its not about strength!"

"Then what?!" As Kairi demanded to know she suddenly found Mew's hands planted gently on her shoulders. He looked deep into her eyes and cracked a smile as he tilted his head to the right.

"You look cute with your hair down like that."

"...H-Huh?"

Intense shock passed through her body as a punch was delivered straight to her gut. She let out a quick gasp and staggered over, her vision and thus her consciousness dwindling into darkness.

Mew's hands were there to catch her under her arms. He slowly bent down and sat her on her knees, taking care not to be inappropriate. He brushed her hair out of her face and whispered to her with a smile, "Now you can get mad at me for punching you."

He stood right up and propped his hands on his hips. He looked to the sky and saw Gravitus floating there, expecting someone else to arrive.

"...Haaaa, its now or never Mew..." Mew closed his eyes, reflected a little bit about his short time in Sancturia, then propped one hand on his katana. As he pulled it out he zipped off the ground to meet the iron king face-to-face.

"Remember me?" He cracked a smile as he calmly raised the tip of his sword towards the man's neck.

Gravitus glanced at him then looked down. When he raised his head he kindly gestured his hand towards Mew and remarked in a humored tone, "Is this meant to be a joke?"

"Nope. I'm your only opponent now," Mew cracked a grin and nudged his head towards the ground, "Kairi won't be knocked out for long. In fact once she wakes up..."

Mew twisted his hand around the handle of his katana and turned his body sideways, the glimmer of the blade reflecting off his eyes.

"**You **will be dead."

"...I'm almost tempted to laugh," Gravitus shut his eyes and brought his hand down to his hip, "And what makes you so confident that this won't be a repeat of before?"

"Hehehe. No spoilers. You'll just have to wait and see!"

"I suppose I do not mind a quick warm-up. I haven't used the Space Drive for a couple centuries now," Gravitus smirked and casually gestured a hand up by his hip, "And yet I will defeat you without moving from this spot."

Mew narrowed his eyes and slashed his blade out twelve times in the blink of an eye, sending light slashes out with each cut. The energy bent around Gravitus' mass and sliced through the clouds behind him.

Mew charged in and slashed down on Gravitus' face. The man grinned and widened his eyes to shove Mew a hundred feet away in an instant. Mew grit his teeth in a smile and with a muzzled groan he dashed forward again.

He slashed at Gravitus' stomach then quickly attacked him from behind, pincering him between two crescent slashes. Gravitus squeezed his pointer finger and the energy was crunched down into a eye-sized spots.

"_Here I go!" _Mew shoved his katana into the sheathe and boosted forward, leaving a sonic boom in his wake. Dozens of towering slashes converged upon Gravitus' location but he held them off with only his aura.

Mew wasn't done yet. He did a quick 180 and swung his katana out of the sheathe, delivering one massive slash of light upon the rest. The energy pressed against Gravitus' body and pushed an inch of the way into his aura.

Gravitus gripped the front of the energy and the squeezing of his fingers collapsed all the light into the palm of his hand. Mew folded his wings into his back as he started to feel the pull of Gravitus' power, and stood his ground.

Gravitus snuffed out the light in his palm and then slowly opened his fingers up, remarking in a stoic tone of voice, "Now its my turn..."

"_Alright. The moment of truth...!" _Mew bit his lower lip and got a little antsy waiting for Gravitus to flex his muscles a bit. But he was _vastly_ unprepared for what the man's power truly entailed.

The fabric of space around Mew right shoulder distorted, his limb being caught up for a brief moment. Then the distortion squeezed, twisting Mew's arm around like a fresh lemon. In an instant he felt his bones break, and pints of blood was wrung out of his veins.

Mew recoiled, his expression squirming as his arm was left as a wrinkled, dark violet mess, with the fractured bones protruding out of the back of his elbow. He dropped his sword and stumbled back, his heart and brain on fire.

"T-That the best you got?!" He proclaimed as his body burned bright with light.

The glow around his wings became twisted up in black energy, and the second after the wings were flipped upside-down. A loud snap led Mew to believe they were broken off of his back. No. It wasn't the time for that yet.

First, Gravitus grabbed his wings with his powers and treated them like handles to pull at Mew's back. Mew grit his teeth and lurched his head up, stretching his neck as Gravitus split his back wide-open, exposing his spinal muscles to the harsh atmosphere.

Then, Gravitus ripped one wing off and forced the other to wrap around Mew's neck. Mew coughed up a lot of blood as Gravitus squeezed without a hint of mercy. True to his word, he hadn't moved a single inch forward the whole time.

With his foe entirely at his mercy, Gravitus raised one hand above his head and Mew was pulled in line with it. He then cracked a smirk and remarked, "Your time has long since passed, Elemental Overlord."

Mew widened his blood filled eyes and gripped tightly around his wing, struggling to break free.

"**I**...am the future." Gravitus cast his hand down all the way and sent Mew's broken, battered broken body hurtling back into the Pyramid. He easily broke through all the floors, where the rubble in his wake buried him in a heap at the bottom.

Mew's passing shocked Kairi's eyes wide open, and without any understanding of how much time had passed she leaned in over the hole with her palms grasping desperately at the ground. What she knew...was that something was wrong.

"M-Mew? MEW!" Her screams echoed down all the floors, but would never reach their destination...

Buried under a mountain of stone mixed in with his own blood, Mew's eyes closed and he saw nothing but the emptiness within his own mind. His consciousness felt faint, and cold. But to the bitter end, that demon in his head had to have the last laugh.

"_Hah hah hah...You don't want it to end here." _"D." hovered over Mew, a grinning mouth without a body or face.

"_And it doesn't have to..." _His jagged teeth formed an upside-down crescent, _"Just get angry...And I'll take care of aaaaall your worries..."_

Mew slowly turned his head to face the formless darkness. His mind was weak, and even this representation of his consciousness was beginning to fade out.

But then, a subtle smile crept across his face, and he pushed his hands off the void to force himself to stand.

"Nah, I don't think so." Mew crossed his arms and turned his back to the demon's offer.

"D.'s" smile turned into a sour frown as he growled in confusion, _"No? Then you will die. Do NOT be a fool this time!"_

"Why do YOU sound so worried?" Mew leaned his head over his shoulder and mocked "D." by rolling his hand around in the air, "Once I'm dead it'll be easy for you to possess my corpse, yeah?"

"D.'s" expression flattened and he remained oddly silent. Mew turned his head back and remarked, "Oh, could it be because...youcan't?!"

Mew turned and snapped his fingers right in the demon's face, causing them to slither back into the darkness. "D." propped up a grin and chuckled, _"There is no mortal body that I cannot possess."_

"Then do it," Mew leered at him and slowly withdrew his hand, "I'm waiting."

"D." remained motionless in the darkness, his own appearance fading in unison with Mew's. Mew closed his eyes and crossed his arms tightly against his chest.

"If it was so easy you would've done it years ago. But you can't. Because my mind's been too tough for you to break." With that rather eager boast Mew opened his eyes and glared the demon right in his non-existent face.

"All this time you had me thinking I was your prisoner...But you're the one who is trapped!"

"D." began to growl as Mew refused to relent, "So here's **my **deal. You give me access to your power, no strings attached, or I bleed out right here and take you down with me."

The demon's scowl scrunched up as he begins to realize just how much he underestimated this "fool", "How **long** have you been planning this?!"

Mew cracked a big smile and held his head high in superiority over the demon as he remarked, "Rent's due bitch. Either pay up or go belly up."

The truth came crashing down like a ton of bricks. Ironic, considering the predicament the two were in. The demon growled and hissed in denial, but then settled down into a fit of dry laughter.

"_Heeheehee...I suppose these last few years __**have**__ been worth it just to see how deranged you truly are..." _"D." had a genuine smile on his face as he muttered in mild disgust, _"Using your own body as a hostage to make my relent..." _

"_There'll be a price to pay for outsmarting __**me**__, of that you can be rest assured...And when I come to collect, I shall do so with __**interest**__..."_

Mew drew his hands out and said, "Hey see! That wasn't a bad joke!"

He then extended one hand and remarked in a cheeky tone, "Maybe I'm rubbing off on you after all."

"D.'s" expression flattened as he murmured, _"Maybe it would be better to die..." _

Nevertheless, his darkness stretched out through the empty void and snagged Mew's hand. They gave each other a firm shake, and as their forms stabilized the demon had one last thing to say.

"_I suppose this could be a little fun...Watching you tear that lunatic to shreds..." _

"Oh trust me..." Mew said as his irises turned pure yellow, "I've been setting up one HELL of a show!"

_A couple minutes earlier..._

Kairi trembled at the edge of the hole. She had already thought she lost Mew once, and now it seemed that this time was a much more permanent affair...

"That was a decent distraction..." Gravitus' calm voice lingered behind Kairi as he descended a little lower to ensure that he'd be heard.

Kairi's hands trembled into fists and her tear-dripped face rose in anger. She stood up and turned around, the man callously discarding the atrocity he committed in order to say to her, "Are you ready to fight now, daughter? Or do you require another nap?"

"You just keep taking things away...!" Kairi drew her staff and flew straight for Gravitus, smashing him as hard as she could across the face while exclaiming, "I'll never forgive you!"

Gravitus' head turned slightly but his smile stayed undisturbed. Kairi widened her eyes and Gravitus raised a hand to her face. With a "gentle" push a shockwave erupted from his hand and sent her hurtling down into the hole that Mew perished in a moment ago.

"...Hmm, sometimes I don't know my own strength..." Gravitus lowered his hand to his hip and slowly descended towards the Pyramid.

He suddenly froze in place. The air around him got much colder, and the disturbance in the clouds ground to a halt. He turned a little to the left and felt something on his cheek. It was a bead of sweat, which he drew onto his finger to observe it slide off.

"Now that is interesting..." Gravitus squeezed the sweat into his palm and heard a subtle noise similar to a sonicboom going off within the Pyramid. Something was rising to the top. Something sinister...

"This couldn't possibly be..."

Kairi closed her eyes and had braced for impact. But the landing was soft, and warm to the touch like skin. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself surrounded in a foggy veil of pure darkness. Her heart skipped a beat until she realized that there was nothing frightening about this darkness. It wrapped around her snug like a blanket and kept her safe from harm.

That was when she looked up and saw the familiar sight of Mew's face from below. But he was not only perfectly fine, he was somehow even **stronger** than he was before.

"M-Mew...?" She asked.

He turned his head down and his glowing yellow irises flashed at her for a moment. Her heart fluttered as he gave her a grin and said, "Geez I turn away for one second and you go and trip down this hole."

Kairi puffed her cheeks in a pout and her eyes watered with tears of joy. Mew turned his head and chuckled, "You didn't think I was dead again, did you?"

He put her down where she originally was and she turned around to look over his body. He was in his normal clothes again but his hands and feet were shaded black with small jagged protrusions. The darkness around him was like a miasma, but nothing she had a reason to fear.

Mew innocently rubbed the back of his head and remarked, "So uhh...I _may _have forgotten to mention that I have a demon rooming in my mind?"

"...Mew." Kairi murmured.

"Yeah?" Mew replied.

Kairi took in a deep breath and felt no regrets saying what she was about to, "Kill that son of a bitch."

He just floated there and stared at her with an utterly baffled look on his face for a few seconds. Then he cracked a smile and declared with a firm nod, "You've got it Kairi!"

He then rocketed off into the sky, leaving Kairi to turn around and watch. But she didn't feel too bad about this. Cause she knew that Mew wasn't just fighting this battle alone...

Gravitus steadied himself as Mew stopped the same distance away as he did their last confrontation. Now Mew wore a big ol' grin similar to "D.'s", and the demon's visage faintly appeared at his back as the two voiced their greeting in unison.

"Hey Damascus. Didja miss me?"

Gravitus's fingers curled into fists and Mew watched as the man's tone of voice grew with irritation, "How fitting that a cockroach festers around a cockroach..."

He then raised his head and mockingly addressed the boy's change in appearance, "Nothing has changed except the depths of evil in your heart. If you think you can beat me by stooping to such lows..."

"Oh I ain't just gonna beat you. I'm gonna kill you. And there's not a damn thing you can do about it now, Damascus." Mew hunched over slightly and smiled some more.

Gravitus furrowed his brows and muttered under his breath, "How dare you use that name..."

He then raised his left hand and with a bored expression remarks, "I have grown tired of your constant meddling boy. This time I'll be sure to leave nothing behind..."

He clenched his fist tight and Mew just stood there grinning from ear-to-ear. Gravitus turned his fist around and then squeezed it again, but nothing changed.

"Hahaha. And here I thought Mr. Big Bad Space Emperor would've been a little smarter than this..." Mew pointed at his head and relished in rubbing this in Gravitus' face, "Darkness has no mass, dumbass! Your powers have no effect on me now!"

Gravitus opened his hand and his expression soured as he lifted it up, "There are hundreds of other ways for me to crush you, Elemental Overlord."

He easily ripped up the debris from the Neo Drive's chamber and surrounded Mew in a ring of stone, forcing it all to collapse upon him before either party could blink. Dust rose in a plume, then scattered to the winds as Mew still stood there, surrounded by a set of phantom limbs that pushed the rocks back.

"Sorry bud..." Mew stood up and loudly cracked his knuckles one fist at a time, "But I'm gonna be the one doing all the crushing here."

The phantom limbs shattered all but two of the rocks and narrowed his eyes at his opponent. The misery inflicted upon Auris, Kairi and Gabriel fueled his rage, and made the darkness around him flare up like a black wildfire.

"Payback time you son of a bitch...Destiny's been cooking up this beatdown for ya for the last two-thousand years!"

Mew flung the rocks straight at Gravitus and the man retaliated by applying crushing distortions in their path in an attempt to break them. Mew leaped from shadow to shadow on the rocks, and emerged from the last one staring down Gravitus with a massive smile on his face and his eyes wild with excitement.

"Your future's been canceled!"

Gravitus' eyes widened as his body erupted with his mighty aura. At long last these two titans would clash, and only one could come out alive...

**Vs. The Lord of the Aurians and Imperial Monarch of a Galactic Empire: Gravitus! **

_Next Time: Unraveled_


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: Gravitus III: Echoes of Darkness**

Mew and Gravitus tackle each other and wrestled their hands together. Mew then quickly headbutts Gravitus to stagger him, followed by ramming his feet into his metallic gut.

Gravitus digs his feet into the air and swings his hand out to call his scythe to him. The moment it touched the blade extended to twice its normal length and churned with his chaotic energy.

Gravitus swung with all his might, leaving the air twisting in its wake. Mew slipped past the blade and thrust his hands out. The black mass, made of liquefied darkness, stretched out to wrap around Gravitus' waist.

Mew began spinning him around, turning into a black whirlwind that sucked some of the clouds in. Gravitus firmly grasped his scythe and slashed through Mew's arms, detaching the goop from his body. Momentum sent him twirling away like a top, where he forced himself to stop looking towards Mew.

But he was no longer there. Gravitus' eyes darted around, but he'd never find him. Mew hovered over his head like a gargoyle, thankful for the cover the stormy skies provided. His inability to restrain a snicker, however, foiled his secrecy.

Gravitus jerked his body around and back-handed the air above his head. Mew flipped away, watching as a mile-wide hole was punctured through the clouds. Mew picked at his ear as the sound of the man's punch lingered.

Gravitus lowered his hand to his chest and lobbed balls of highly compressed air forward. Mew slipped right in the blink of an eye then left to avoid another. For the third, he clapped his hands twice then caught it between his hands.

The pressure rammed into his gut and he pretended to sound winded. He raised the bullet, tinged it with darkness, and thrust it back out with both hands. Gravitus sliced it with his scythe and the high concentration of his swing shoved Mew a few feet back.

"_This power gives you plenty of ways to screw with him...Shall I tell you some?" _"D." interjected with an eager grin.

"Maybe in a bit." Mew responded. He then thrust his hands out so fast that he shot dozens of dark balls in the blink of an eye.

Gravitus got nothing but specks of dust in his eyes for Mew's troubles. He started pushing forward against the tide slowly. Then, he shoved forward, his girth alone shoving the darkness away around him. He swung his hand down and grabbed Mew by the scalp, tightening his grip like a lug nut around a screw.

Mew's grin was a mix of pain and happiness as he pointed a finger downward. Gravitus deigned to look and caught Mew's right foot stuck inside a small rift. Another rift opened above Gravitus and Mew's foot dropped out. A kick to the head knocked Gravitus back to the Pyramid a few feet away from Kairi.

After he got a brief look at her Mew stretched one of his hands down and scooped Gravitus off his feet by grabbing his face. He was rammed into the still intact pillar and dragged up evenly with Mew. There he latched his sharp fingers into Mew's limbs and ripped it apart with a frustrated grunt.

The excess darkness snapped back to Mew. He dangled his hand before his chest and wiggled his fingers to taunt Gravitus. The man's bruised ego coerced him to lunge forth and take a swing with his scythe.

Mew ducked back in place then dropped his palms down. He used a break dance maneuver to knock Gravitus off his stance and followed up by thrusting his feet into the gut. It wasn't enough to slow the man down. Gravitus thrust his palm down to Mew's head and blasted him with pure gravity.

Mew's head was rattled a little. He shook the dizziness off while opening a rift inches over the Pyramid. Gravitus stood, a rift opening behind him. Mew barreled out and Gravitus tilted his head to avoid it.

Mew spun around and slid towards another rift, volleying a few dark balls to throw Gravitus off his trail. The whisper of the air opening per rift kept Gravitus' gaze firm as steel regardless of all the smoke and mirrors.

He turned right and prepared to swing his scythe. Mid-swing Mew's hands fired out and forcibly bent the arm to Gravitus' neck. The rest of Mew pounced on him and dragged him down. Gravitus shoved back and the two locked in a stalemate. Mew's claws scraped through Gravitus' armor and scratched at the wiring within.

Gravitus' body pulsated, throbbing like a heartbeat. He tightened his arm up and a bubble of gravity expanded around him. It stalled against Mew's might, managing only to push back the skin around his facial features. Mew kept clawing away, gritting his teeth as the pressure built up.

"Get...Off!" Gravitus growled as the bubble suddenly doubled in size. Mew was sent tumbling away, landing fifty feet off.

Mew swiped a hand under his chin and felt only a slight crick in his neck. Gravitus meanwhile squeezed his hand and the metal around his scars started to bubble. Then it moved like a liquid to seal his wounds up.

"How's it feel to be knocked off your high horse?" Mew boasted with a bit of glee in his voice, "Cause once the bad guy starts showing anger its all downhill from there!"

Gravitus stared at Mew and then thrust his hand up. Mew dodged the massive bubble of gravity and flew clockwise around Gravitus, sticking to a fifty foot diameter away.

Mew lobbed and lowered a punch into Gravitus' face faster than a bullet. The man tried to raise his defenses but couldn't beat back every fist. He was surrounded by dozens of Mews from how fast he was flying. And so too was his voice copied and echoed into his ears.

"You've gone sooooo long without being challenged that it must grind your gears to have someone call you out on your bullshit!"

Gravitus swung his scythe behind his head then lashed it around his body. A shockwaved forced Mew to jump but that was quite alright. Gravitus opened himself by using that much force.

He tumbled forth and slashed his claws down Gravitus' chest. Then he pummeled him with some lightning fast blows and backed away when Gravitus grabbed at his head. Gravitus opened his hand and struck Mew's face with a compressed air bubble.

Mew staggered back a tiny bit and gasped when his foe smashed a fist into his gut. Then he spread his fingertips and penetrated the space between Mew's chest and abdomen.

Easily hoisting him up, Gravitus remarked in an irritated manner of speaking, "You continue to try and villainize me just so you can feel some sense of purpose. All that effort could have gone towards serving a greater purpose. But there is no peace in your little world, is there?"

Mew grunted and grinned as he grumbled in turn, "I-I gotta be real...I didn't think you'd keep talking like this. Y-You really have deluded yourself into believing your bullshit haven't you Damascus?"

"I am Gravitus!" The man yelled as he dug his fingers in deeper. The rage flickered in and out like an ember. He turned his scowl into a smile and let out a slow, deep chuckle.

"It doesn't matter what form you take boy. In the end you will and die a short-sighted fool."

Mew raised his hands above his head and grunted in pain, "A-And no matter how much you go on about peace...You'll always be nothing more than a megalomaniac."

Suddenly Mew perked up his eyes and beamed with a painless smile. Gravitus took notice and glanced down at Mew's chest, where a thick, solid mass of darkness was holding his claws at bay. The sky crackled around him. Crimson electricity tickled his metallic skin. The moment Gravitus looked up, a black sphere with a red core was ready between Mew's hands.

"Syke! Made you look!" Mew dunked the ball into Gravitus' body and dashed right out of his grasp. The chaotic explosion tossed Gravitus away and sent his scythe flying. Dark electricity slowed Gravitus' responses and gave Mew sufficient time to skate past his retaliatory blast.

Mew slid past Gravitus and clawed him straight down and to the left. He used a series of rifts to quickly slash and advance, slash and advance, and slash and advance some more. Gravitus squeezed his fists down to his hips and exploded with energy. Mew was repelled, the skies crackling with thunder.

Gravitus ripped millions of volts of electricity from the clouds to strike at Mew. Mew went "Whoa!" and was shaken violently even after he dodged it.

Gravitus charged forth and smashed his fist across Mew's face, turning his whole body around. Gravitus then grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled out.

Clever use of his stretchy limbs allowed Mew to grab Gravitus by the neck and throw him overhead before he became a double amputee. Mew had to keep the pressure going if not physically then verbally.

"You talk and talk and talk about peace but what your 'comrades'? Where's Mercury, Venus and Uranus' peace? Huh?!"

Gravitus turned upright and punched the air twice. Mew snapped his limbs back into place and caught the high-pressured bullets from the front. Gravitus increased the gravity and the bullets began scraping down the darkness in Mew's hands.

"Once I have the Neo Drive they will get what they want the most." Gravitus firmly remarked.

Mew exerted his muscles to slam the bullets together, shoving him further back once they popped. He then grit his teeth and hissed, "Bullshit!"

He thrust a limb towards Gravitus and put a rift in the way to feint him. A second rift emerged beside Gravitus and Mew clocked him in the face.

"In two-thousand years you're telling me you couldn't find a solution? I doubt you even tried!" As Mew pulled his fist back he grabbed Gravitus' face and turned him around. This provided the prime opportunity to run in and bash his skull from behind.

Mew felt a bone crack against his knuckles and spiced up the pain with a heaping helping of critique on Gravitus' character, "And you know why that is? Because deep-down you enjoy having control over others! You feed them what they want to hear so they won't doubt you!"

Mew burrowed his knuckles in deeper and gave the man a furrowed glare, "From being oppressed to becoming the oppressor. You're utterly pathetic Damascus."

"Grrr...!" Gravitus turned around and bashed Mew point-blank with his fists. After five punches that'd crumble the largest mountains out there Mew caught both his hands and only had bloody gently dripping out of his nose.

"I have given them hope. What have you ever given anyone but a headache?" Gravitus locked his hands around Mew's in a vice and started to shove his arms towards his shoulder.

"There you go, pinning the blame on others and ignoring the biggest problem!" Mew started pushing back with great force, "This isn't about me or your shitty father or the Ten Sages! You're responsible for your own problems...Now accept them like a man!"

Mew rammed his head into Gravitus' nose and drew blood. He rammed his head in two more times to make him let go, then thrust his palms into his chest. As Gravitus was blown away Mew coiled darkness around his arm like a serpent. With a punch it sprang out, drilling into the man's gut.

"People like you...Are truly hypocrites!" Gravitus thrust his hand out and ripped large chunks of debris up to smash Mew between.

Mew threw his arms up. Gravitus was almost making it feel like he was squished between two moons. Mew's arms pushed together at the elbows and he started shoving forward one large step at a time.

"I-I got a pretty good scapegoat...Why...Why don't you try having a demon in your head?!" Mew lurched out of the center of the debris and declared, "Though somehow I feel like that'd make you less crazy then you already are!"

Mew burst free and hammered Gravitus down his face with his fist, nailing the point in harder with his words, "Someone like you can't be entrusted with the world, let alone the universe!"

Gravitus retaliated with a staggering punch to Mew's gut, his gravelly voice ignoring the temptations of madness, "If not me then who?! You? Auris?!"

Gravitus' second punch was evaded by Mew simply sliding back, though the aftershock shook him up a bit. Mew rubbed the bottom of his chin and chuckled.

"Auris has got a lot of problems but she's sure as hell made of tougher stuff than you."

Gravitus curled a fist and propped a pointer finger near his chest, "You know nothing about how monstrous that 'woman' is."

"I know that nobody deserves to be raped!" Mew exclaimed.

"The greater the crime the greater the punishment." Gravitus replied softly, but his voice was dripping with callousness.

Mew narrowed his eyes and even "D." started to growl in his head, _"Is this feeling what you humans call...disgust?"_

"Hey congrats Gravitus! You made the demon sick to his stomach!" Mew boasted merrily while tapping the side of his head.

"I do not care what you or the parasite think. My destiny cannot be deterred." Gravitus replied, though his narrowed glare sure said differently about how he felt.

"And what about your people? I bet they'd be singing a different tune if they found out their 'leader' was a megalomaniac rapist."

"They know what I am. And what I am is their savior." Gravitus said firmly.

"Oh really now?" Mew let out a big laugh and rolled his eyes, "Cause it sounds to me like you're sort of an urban legend in your own town! Without that big monument to your ego I doubt they'd even know what you look like!"

"Enough of this..." Gravitus hands started to be supercharged with energy and the air trembled.

Mew put on a wild smile and swung his hand back through a rift, "Awww come on now..."

Gravitus looked back and Mew grabbed him by the face. He then pulled his own body through the rift and slammed Gravitus down towards the side of the Pyramid.

"Don't be **shy**!" Mew ground him across the surface, dragging down a small avalanche of stone to the bottom.

An audience of Aurians had gathered around to observe the disturbance. Naturally their survival instincts sent them packing before they were buried under rubble.

Mew let go the moment Gravitus was on the ground then stretched his arms out to catch all the rubble. Gravitus skid away and quickly stood with a huge scowl. The notice and murmurs of his people stilled his anger for a moment.

"It is alright," He gently waved his hand down, "I shall have this threat dealt with soon enough."

Mew punched Gravitus square in the face from far away and it sent him tumbling between the crowd and into the city.

"Same, actually." Mew retorted as he stood up and slowly started walking through the hundreds of bewildered gazes. He darted his eyes around and took in a deep breath.

"_Ok he should be somewhere nearby..." _Gravitus punched an air bullet into his gut and sent him crashing back into the side of the Pyramid. The audience groaned, feeling the ache that Mew suffered in his bones.

Gravitus began to raise his head with the intent of sending Mew back into the sky. But then Mew shoved his foot through a rift and kicked Gravitus under his chin.

With his foe knocked off his feet Mew ran out, grabbed Gravitus by the face, and dragged him along the ground. He swerved around the onlookers and stopped when he was about to hit a building. He pulled Gravitus up to the wall then flung him overhead.

Gravitus spun around stiffly in mid-air and swung his right arm straight out. The wall behind Mew was peeled off and curled towards him. Mew dashed forward and snatched Gravitus out of the air before the whole wall was undone.

Gravitus firmly planted his feet on the ground and defied Mew's punch with one of his own. Then he charged his other fist and smashed Mew in the gut.

The shockwave of his hit slanted some of the nearby houses and knocked over some people. Mew pinned his feet to the coiled wall and launched himself out at Gravitus.

The man projected a bubble of gravity to force Mew back. Mew shoved his arms out and black flames spurted out the palms, giving him the push needed to prevail. Gravitus grit his teeth and shoved harder, the force of his blow caving the center of the building wall inward.

"Not...gonna...happen!" Mew grunted one last time and Gravitus' feet began to slant back. From there, it was effortless to knock him on his back.

Gravitus wrenched his hands around Mew's wrist but the boy merely stretched his arms out to get away from him. He then sprung back down, diving his feet into Gravitus' face.

The man let go, and Mew started riding him like a snowboard throughout Sancturia. He turned his head around, carefully evading the panicking populace as he bit his lower lip and murmured aloud, "Come on, where are you...?"

Mew suddenly felt a rise of energy behind him and turned around. Gravitus' scythe went flying straight for his head at ludicrous speeds, stopped only by Mew clamping the blade between his hands.

Gravitus himself then exploded with energy and blew Mew off of him. He snagged his scythe back into his hand and levitated to his feet. He lashed his weapon back, throwing it straight up and making it spin.

Mew collected solid darkness to the front of his chest to shield himself. But it spun so hard, so fast, that it was quickly tearing through the darkness like a paper shredder. Gravitus held his palm up and fired another air bullet into the scythe, doubling its speed.

Mew however, smirked and opened a dark rift from behind the moment before he escaped Sancturia's protection, taking the scythe with him. Gravitus quickly darted his eyes around, unknowing of where his foe would strike him from next.

A thin rift began to slide open to his right, and he thrust his hand out to blast Mew prematurely. But instead he only managed to slow his still whirling scythe. He widened his eyes and snagged the scythe in his hand, the force of its return dragging his arm down to the ground.

Mew then leaped out of a rift behind him and stamped one foot down on the back of Gravitus' hand, forcing the scythe out. Having compromised the man's posture, Mew hopped off his hand and let the fear of the inevitable pain fester in Gravitus' expression for a few seconds.

Then, when satisfied with it, Mew plunged his right claw down and thousands of strings of solid darkness smashed into Gravitus' body. He was dragged and pinned onto his back, his chest penetrated a few times over.

Mew's eyes then jolted back to the right, as he felt a familiar energy coming a little ways South. Cracking a brief but mild grin, Mew then told himself, _"Alright, just got to play around a little bit now..."_

Gravitus squeezed his fists and bellowed out a titanic roar of irritation. Black electricity shot out of his body and threw the gravity around him out of whack. A couple houses were crushed down flat, another few flipped on their sides. Some of the people suffered from floatiness, the others forced onto their knees.

Gravitus then turned this maelstrom of energy from his body onto Mew's darkness, shattering it with a wild, flashy burst. The energy traveled up to Mew and blew him out of the air, where he landed roughly five-hundred feet away.

There he watched Gravitus rise from the ground, suspended by the raw power he exerted. His gravitational energies bolted across Sancturia for thousands of feet around, throwing off the balance of the people around. Gravitus' hands crackled with energy the most as he dragged them up by his shoulders. Metal was torn asunder from under the ground and quickly thrown at Mew faster than he could blink.

"Shoot!" Mew went at the metal projectiles and snagged them in his hands. His feet were ripped off the ground and he went spiraling away. He opened up a dark rift or two to keep his body from colliding with any houses and discarded the metal into the dimension along the way.

Mew used the cover of darkness to slip behind Gravitus and grab him by the shoulders. He then pressed his feet against his back and dragged him straight down to the ground before he could cause anymore damage.

Upon landing Gravitus clocked Mew in the chin with his elbow and forced him off with a burst of energy. He turned his body around, rising to smash both his fists into Mew's face when his descent proved too quick for his liking. Mew coughed a little and staggered back, then propped a claw up to his face to hide a smirk.

"_Ok Mew...sell it!" _

Gravitus charged in and with one thundering roar of irritation he thrust both his supercharged palms into Mew's gut. The energy collapsed in a bubble and burst apart with the sound of an ion bomb. Mew was tossed onto his back and he tumbled around a few times like a ragdoll until he hit the side of a house. He forced his eyes open and let out a big gasp, then fell flat on his side.

He flattened his hands on the ground and slowly rose to his feet, starting with his knees. All the while he grumbled to himself, _"...O-Okay...Maybe I shouldn't consider a career in theatrics..."_

Mew hunched over and hung his hands towards the ground. He kept an eye on Gravitus as the man approached him, his head high and the massive energy surge whittling down. Gravitus clenched his fists and his voice was rife with annoyance towards the boy.

"I told you from the start didn't I boy? I am the future. And you...are simply the lingering memory of a bygone era."

Mew put a hand to his chest and glanced to the left. He subtly cracked a smirk and chuckle then looked Gravitus in the eyes, "If I'm such a rat then why are you having so much trouble exterminating me huh?"

"Plagues **are** usually difficult to wipe out..." Gravitus raised his hand out towards him and energy began to stir.

"Killing me isn't going to change what you are..." Mew scowled in defiance and glanced his head around, "Cause as this battle's shown you're already one stint of insanity away from breaking that mask of yours for good."

Gravitus paused and followed Mew's gaze towards his city and people. Many made themselves scarce, others lingered with a curious gaze. Their homes and facilities were damaged or broken beyond repair. Gravitus' eyes grew heavy, and his lips sank into a small frown.

"...It seems its nothing enough for me to break you physically," Gravitus narrowed his gaze towards Mew and remarked, "I shall shatter your stubborn resolve and make you submit to the truth."

Mew hung his head out of sight and smirked as wide as his cheeks would allow, then asked in a deceptively tired sounding voice, "A-And how do you plan to do that?"

"By showing you that my words are no lies. And that the loyalty of my people has been earned, not deceived..." Gravitus took a couple steps back and swung his arms out in a kingly fashion.

"My fellow Aurians! There is no need for alarm! You may find yourselves frightened, confused, or otherwise lost...But I am here to provide you with answers..." Gravitus thrust a finger at the "lowly" Mew so that all remaining eyes were on him, "This troublemaker is an assassin hired by the witch Auris to kill me. And once his life is snuffed out, I shall personally rebuild the damage he has inflicted upon our great city!"

Mew let out a loud laugh and proclaimed, "That's it?! Tell me you're joking..."

All these words he spoke prodded Gravitus into letting his guard down and continue to speak. Continuing from where his first speech ended, the man raised his fists towards the sky, his presence dominating the minds of all who stood near him.

"And that is not all...I have great news to deliver to you all as your leader. For on this day...! I shall finally claim the power of the Neo Drive as my own. And with it, I shall guide our race back to the stars!" He then lowered his hands and remarked in a valiant sounding tone of voice, "For you see, there is unrest in the cosmos...False idols plague the worlds beyond our own and mislead the common masses with lies. I have fought to bring peace back to these people's lives, but it is not a task I can perform alone. Yet with the Neo Drive's power, you shall all be able to join me, and together we will create a peaceful universe free of misleading heretics!"

Gravitus lowered his arms fully to his hips. He looked around and saw how there was no response from any of his people. Many of them turned to look at each other, others just stared with eyes the size of silver dollars. The silence was broken by one man clapping, and to Gravitus' chagrin that man was Mew.

Mew lifted his body up slightly and pressed his hands together, grinning from ear-to-ear, "Woooow, nice speech. It left them _speech_less."

Gravitus furrowed his brows and spoke on the optimistic side of things, "They are processing all this information. I had planned to deliver a more...appropriate speech, to give them time to digest things."

"Or maybe they're scared shitless after seeing what kind of mechanical monster their leader truly is!" Mew parted his hands and pointed around the area with them both, "You see all this damage you caused Gravitus? I had NOTHING to do with that. Your reckless use of your power did it! And all because you couldn't kill a dumb, stupid rat."

Gravitus' eyes slanted and he raised his voice a couple decibels, "This is merely a small group of Aurians. Hardly proof of anything."

"Oh really now? What if I told you that your message just got broadcasted all over Sancturia?" The moment Mew said that Gravitus' eyes widened and Mew took advantage of that to nudge his head left and yell, "Isn't that right Bobby?!"

Gravitus swung his head right and saw an adolescent boy who looked like nothing special standing between a couple of houses in plain sight. Against his chest was Mew's notebook from yesterday, and his bracelet laid before it.

"You know, if this gets me killed I'm going to haunt you Mew!" He yelled with a mild fright in his voice.

"What is the meaning of..." Gravitus' growl was interrupted by Mew striking up a conversation with the seemingly innocuous boy.

"I'm just glad you knew where to show up! So did you...?"

"Yeah!" Bobby held his bracelet up near his face and proclaimed, "My Drive bounced Gravitus' message all across Sancturia! There shouldn't be a single Aurian who missed it now!"

"Kick-ass! You did great!" Mew shone a thumbs-up at the guy then turned his full attention to the flabbergasted tyrant. He stood tall and shook off the "pain" he had, and enjoyed watching Gravitus' face turn completely pale.

"I bet right now you're wanting to growl angrily at me 'Grrr, what did you do?!'" Mew suddenly stretched his left hand out to snag the notebook from Bobby, complete with a "Thank you!", then took and slapped Gravitus across the face with it. The impact broke all the pages off and left the papers and the words inked onto them fluttering around the man's field of vision.

"See this? Its a consensus from your own people about their opinions on you. They're super grateful for what you've done for their well-being..." Mew started off soft before laying the negativity on thick with a grin, "But they're completely at odds about how to feel about you as a person. You've been such an enigma to them all this time that when questioned on whether or not they'd follow you to the ends of the earth, a vast majority of them didn't know how to respond whatsoever!"

The papers formed a judgmental ring around the man's feet, giving him no choice but to glare and take in the voice of his people through their text. He raised his head and his eyes trembled, struggling against his enraged urges.

"These are nothing but lies...! I have given my people everything they could ever want!"

"Yeah. You did," Mew firmly agreed but stated the obvious to him, "And that's why your plan was a failure from the start."

"If I've learned anything from being a human its that the more we have the less likely we are to want to risk losing it. Why would Aurians risk losing everything they have to fight and potentially die in some madman's dumb war?"

"People don't just want a leader who helps them. They want a leader they can trust. And you couldn't give them both because that's just not the kind of man you are Gravitus..." Mew wagged a pointer finger out at Gravitus and told him, "You think you get people but you don't **get** people. Loyalty and trust can't be built on bribery and lies. It may start fragile but with time and effort it'll become something irreplaceable."

"But that's not what you wanted. You wanted what you wanted, and you wanted it NOW," Mew smiled a lot like "D." would and squeezed his fists tightly before his face, "And because of that you're going to lose everything. The loyalty of your people, the trust of the Planetary Aurians, the empire you built on a throne of lies...And your _life_."

Gravitus' eyes were as wide as could be, burrowing into Mew's with a stare hotter than the sun. Energy was overloading his body, electricity splashing out from all across his limbs. And Mew just stood there, grinning with so much pleasure.

"You were the instrument of your own demise Damascus...And this 'idiot' just played you like a goddamn fiddle."

"DIE!" Gravitus erupted with rage and smashed his fists into Mew's body with all his might. Mew went hurtling all the way across Sancturia in a matter of seconds and was laughing his ass off the whole time.

"What's the matter?!" He exclaimed to one who could not hear it. As he escaped the edge of Sancturia he snagged it tightly on his claws and stretched his arms out for thousands of feet. Gravitus forced two titanic icebergs from the waters with the intent to squish Mew between them.

Mew sprang forth before he was flattened like roadkill and crossed the distance he was fired in half the time, ramming both his feet square into Gravitus' chest.

"CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH?!" He threw Gravitus off his feet and barreled straight back towards the Pyramid. Along the way Gravitus tried to resist, so Mew swerved just a tiny bit to the right and rammed him head first through his statue. Needless to say it shattered to itty bitty pieces, but that wasn't all. For suddenly, a bunch of electricity discharged into Gravitus' body and paralyzed himself long enough for Mew to reach his destination.

He slammed and carved a scar into the side of the Pyramid with Gravitus' body all the way back to the top. He flew on past Kairi and carried Gravitus back to where their battle had begun.

Mew then grit his teeth and sharpened his claws, dragging them down Gravitus' face to scar it up something fierce. Then he kept going to the body, grabbing the top of his chest and tearing down towards the waist.

"Face it Gravitus...Your heart is as empty as your words!" Mew proclaimed as he was about to thrust his fist into the core of Gravitus' mechanical body. But behind the man's shell was nothing resembling a heart. Instead his insides were hollow. Mew paused and floated back a little bit, staying cautious all the while.

On further inspection there was something strange about the way Gravitus' innards were shaped. It looked like, with a little bit of fidgeting, a human could fit inside. Mew's heart skipped a beat and he glared the man in his now scarred face.

"What the hell is this?" He growled.

Gravitus panted in exhaustion and suddenly thrust a hand up to his bleeding face. He slid his metallic palm down, wiping his blood across his head. He then stared down at his opened body and started to laugh.

"...This...this is meant to be a last resort," Gravitus stuttered but his voice was ripe with pride towards himself, "If my daughter and I do not see eye-to-eye...Then at the very least I can plug her into this body and draw on the Neo Drive's power that way."

He grinned and murmured with a mouth dripping with blood, "For I CAN and WILL make the choices necessary to see my destiny through, while-"

Mew smashed his fist into the right side of Gravitus' jaw and nearly broke it off. He slowly drew his fist back, his teeth bit down in an utterly foul scowl as he growled at the tyrant, "You make me **sick**."

Gravitus wobbled in the air and slowly cocked his head back into place. He rubbed his sore jaw and started to rise upright. He used his powers to fix his body right up, then started to laugh slow and methodically.

"...You have been more of a thorn in my side than I could have possibly predicted. If only I had been more thorough these past few years..." Blood trickled past Gravitus' nose and made the whites of his eyes look truly maddening.

Mew curled his fists up to his chest and cautiously murmured, "And what's that supposed to mean...?"

"It does not matter now...You are prematurely assuming that you have bested me...B-But I still have one more ace up my sleeve..."

Mew rolled his eyes and mumbled, "Figures you're a sore loser. Give it up! You can't possibly have another Drive."

"Who said anything...about a Drive?" Gravitus slowly raised his right hand to his chest and it was set aglow with black light, "I did not want to do this yet...But you've left me no other choice. 'The first key' shall now be turned..."

_Next Time: Whatever it Takes_


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29: Gravitus IV: Selfless Acts**

Mew kept his distance from Gravitus as the man's hand stirred with energy. His cryptic words, though perceived as a bluff in Mew's head, did instill a sense of worry that he could not properly explain.

"_'The first key'...? Yo 'D.', do you have any idea what he's talking about?"_

The demon grumbled internally and responded in kind, _"He's just trying to distract you. Maybe you should mess up his face some more for good measure..."_

Mew looked at Gravitus scratched up, blood-soaked face and nudged his puckered lips aside, _"Eh, he looks good enough as is. A face befitting the man and monster..."_

Gravitus still kept his hand raised and slowly let out his breaths, making a quiet hissing sound. Mew raised his brows and remarked aloud, "So I'll be taking this as your sign of surrender?"

He cracked a savage grin and bluntly told him, "Because it looks to me like you barely got enough energy to work with!"

Gravitus' lips moved to smile in a gruesome fashion thanks to his blood dripping off of them. He then raised his head and remarked with his former calmness, "There is no end to my power. For I am the one chosen by the universe to save it."

"This again? Give it a rest already!" Mew lashed out, moaning tiredly as he rolled his eyes.

"Such a simple-minded answer..." Gravitus wiggled his fingers and raised his eyes a bit to look down on Mew, "What _was_ that phrase you used a moment ago? 'You were the instrument of your own demise'? Funny how so quickly that phrase would be turned against **you**."

Mew grinned and raised his claws towards Gravitus' face, "If you think you can beat me by bluffing you've got another thing coming buster."

"Bluff? Me? I do not _bluff_, boy," Gravitus smirked and his tone started dripping with discordant vibes, "There was a spell placed upon all nine Planetary Aurians long ago in accordance with their titles. When all nine of them are bested in a certain period of time, the nine planets will align before the sun..."

"That sure sounds like a bunch of superstitious nonsen-"

"_**Kllkk!"**_

"What?" What sounded like a key opening a door resounded across the skies at a very high-frequency pitch. By that scope alone it couldn't have come from anywhere but the far reaches of space.

Mew swung his head up and saw that many of the clouds had parted for miles out, giving a clear view of the sun.

"When aligned, the planets act like the teeth of a key...And the sun as its head." The energy in Gravitus' hand began to fade and he propped it up by his chest.

The moment Mew lowered his head the air trembled in fear. Mew could almost feel his pupils shrink as he sensed something approaching dangerously fast from out into space. He leered at Gravitus and the man was smiling from cheek-to-cheek.

"What did you _do_?!" Mew growled in a demanding tone.

"You underestimated the magnitude of power the Space Drive granted me," Gravitus tone of voice turned calm and at the same time grim as he whispered, "For I have already turned the Sun..."

This wasn't a bluff anymore. Gravitus had wiggled his way into calling forth a power of catastrophic proportions, and it was coming straight for the Earth. A fact he'd obviously have no qualms gloating over.

"The power I have unlocked has been brought to your galaxy by a pair of warp gates...In just ten minutes it will pass through all nine planets and be absorbed into the sun," A set of keys glowed to life on the back of Gravitus' hand, "Fortunately I took pre-emptive measures to shield all the planets..."

His hand flickered with energy for a moment as he wiggled his fingers and the key labeled "Earth" suddenly short-circuited, "Oh but...it appears Catherine did not properly adjust this planet's barrier...What a shame."

Mew grit his teeth, lashed his right arm out and pulled Gravitus into him with a claw raised at his face, "Yeah! A shame you're going to die right now!"

"In the time it'll take for you to kill me it'll be too late to save your planet," Gravitus lorded this over Mew's head with a unflinching smile, "So what shall it be? Me? Or everyone else..."

Everything that happened so far and Mew was still telling himself that Gravitus was bluffing. His gritted teeth clattered together and his body shook.

"_But if he still had enough energy to turn the goddamn sun...!" _Mew briefly closed his eyes and fought against himself for a few more seconds before yelling out in frustration, "DAMN IT!"

He let go of Gravitus but then smashed his fist into his face just to ensure that he'd be out cold. Gravitus' unconscious body floated back in the air and Mew lurched his head towards the sky. A bright light was coming in fast. It was barely a twinkle now but would soon grow to swallow the planet whole.

Squeezing his fists Mew glanced back at Kairi watching him for a moment then closed his eyes and whispered, "Sorry about this..."

He then rocketed straight out into space without another word. Blazing past the planet's "-spheres" and the satellites littering them, Mew soared out into the blackened depths of space and left his blue-green home in the dust.

The cold of space felt like nothing to him in this form. He could even breathe as much as he wanted to, a blessing in this troubling time. For he breathed in and out deeply at a very frequent pace. His heart was racing. The light now seemingly passing Mars.

"_There's no time to waste!" _Mew motivated himself into pushing his body to its limits. His outer body crackled with black flames and red electricity as he exploded forth at double his speed. Him and the light were coming together fast, their collision sure to spell the doom for someone.

For as brief a moment as Mew got to look at it, he could see the light contained a mixture of silver energy wreathed in flames similar to the sun. No time to process why that is. Mew forced himself upright, swung his arms out, and screamed at the top of his lungs as the center of the light smashed into his palms.

"HYYYOOOOOOOORAAAAAAHHH!" He felt like his lungs were going to collapse in on themselves from the sheer volume of his scream. He went temporarily blind from the overabundance of light pressed against his body and felt dizzy from the scream.

His arms lurched back. His shoulders struggling to stay attached to the rest of his body. The scale and power of this energy was hard to grasp but it was no longer a matter of how hard something was.

"_I...have to...BEAT. THIS!" _Mew burrowed his claw tips into the energy and started shoving forward. Even the most minuscule of efforts felt like progress was being made. His body alone managed to slow down the beam tremendously. But without any proper footing it was going to be difficult to keep this up for very long.

And yet after a few moments of pushing his hands out with all his might, Mew felt his heels slam into a rugged, rocky surface. He glimpsed back just long enough to see that he had landed on the moon. Was this divine intervention, or just a mere stroke of luck?

"_Not...gonna look a gift horse in the mouth!" _Mew had bigger things to worry about and burrowed his feet deep into the moon's surface. His heels were on fire, and they carved a pair of two feet deep, mile long trenches in a matter of seconds.

The energy was still fighting on, like it simply HAD to consume the Earth. Mew grunted and groaned as his bones creaked under pressure, their sounds dwarfed by the energy crackling against his body.

The moon's help had been appreciated but now Mew also had to worry about it as well. If he let up, even for just a moment, the moon would be broken in half by their struggle. So many lives to worry about. It was a greater weight than this light could ever hope to compete with.

"_Are you insane?! You're going to get us both killed!" _And he REALLY did not need "D." bitching at him right now.

"S-Shut up and do your part!" He exclaimed as he squeezed the center of the energy between his arms and let out another blood-curling roar.

The energy around his body splashed back and forth. The larger chunks of rock on the moon were pulled into the light's mighty gravitational pull. It kept fighting and fighting to overcome Mew's last stand but he simply REFUSED to yield.

"W-We didn't come this far...JUST TO DIE HERE!" Mew raised and stamped his right foot hard against the ground.

"Everyone...is counting on us to win!" Mew raised and slammed his left foot hard into the ground.

"And I...WILL NOT LET YOU DESTROY OUR WORLD!" Mew's face stretched to its limits as he started walking forward at tiny paces. He let out a continuous scream as the darkness around his body condensed and exploded to three times its normal size.

The faces of everyone he'd met on this long feeling journey flashed within the light and helped push him forward. All the promises he made and the people they were attached to were riding on the line. What happened beyond this point was the least of Mew's concerns. He was going to win NOW.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" The darkness in Mew's arms bubbled and summoned forth hundreds upon hundreds of equally sized limbs to stretch out across the light. They then dug their claws in and squeezed down around its circumference.

Time was immaterial but the weight of the struggle had most certainly been real. Yet all that effort bore fruit as the light began to collapse down. Little but little this titanic power was being condensed into a sphere no bigger than Mew's head.

By the time it had reached that point Mew was drenched in sweat and he couldn't feel any part of his body save for his heart. He finally ended this nightmare off by crushing the energy between all his hands and letting the embers pass between the slits. He hunched over and all but his real hands faded away.

"...Wh-When I get my hands on Gravitus...Hoo boy..." Mew tried to raise his head towards where the energy came from and murmured aloud, "But man...w-where the hell did that even come from?"

"_Watch out!" _"D.'s" warning came too little, too late.

A sharp sensation penetrated Mew's abdomen from the back and his body was wrenched off the ground. Mew coughed up a wad of blood only for his mouth to be forced shut by a familiar hand.

Gravitus was behind him, his scythe blade now protruding through Mew and draining him of his remaining energy.

"I knew I could rely on your 'heroism' to be your undoing..." He murmured with a hint of glee to his voice. He burrowed his fingertips into Mew's face to prevent even the tiniest murmur from breaking through.

"There was no reason to fear the Earth's destruction...But your 'heroic' nature was so easily swayed by my words into believing that you had no other choice but to throw yourself in the way of the energy. You could have killed me by pushing me into the energy and then dealt with the energy itself..."

Gravitus shifted the scythe upward and nearly cut into Mew's heart and lungs, "But you never had what it takes to make the hard decisions. And that is why you have failed."

Mew threw his hands up and grabbed tightly onto the hand around his mouth to start pulling it down. It would not budge, but the effort got to Gravitus. He furrowed his brows and muttered in annoyance, "Stubborn to the bitter end..."

He grinned from cheek-to-cheek and ripped his scythe free from Mew's body as his arms fell limp to his sides. He then kept his own hand on Mew's face and levitated to get in front of him. He lowered Mew to the ground and raised his other hand by his face.

"But do not fear for your failure. When I'm done saving the universe, I will ensure that you and all like you are forgotten forever..." His hand started to glow and it illuminated his blood drenched smile.

Mew felt Gravitus' energy tightening around his body and the next thing he knew the man let him go and sent him hurtling straight towards the Earth. Mew was helpless as friction with the atmosphere engulfed his body in flames and turned him into a meteor heading straight for Sancturia.

But for as much of a madman as he was, Gravitus still held his people in some regard. Before the exact moment of impact with the Pyramid, Gravitus pulled back on his hand...And jerked Mew's body forward with so much counter force that his spine literally snapped in half.

Mew's eyes widened and the sharpest, most indescribable pain burned throughout his body. But his throat was so filled with blood that he could not scream, and his body so weak that he plopped onto the ground like a fish thrown out of the water. And as an added act of cruelty to his already despicable behavior, Gravitus ensured that Mew's body would be broken right in front of Kairi.

Mew forced out some of the blood in his throat with a couple coughs and dropped his arms to his sides.

"D-Damn it...that...sucked..." He muttered with only mild irritation in his voice.

Kairi quickly dropped to her knees besides Mew and had this teary eyed look on her face. Mew tilted his head slightly and his broken spine shot a ton of pain up to his brain for doing so. He winced one eye shut but passed it off as a wink as he smiled and said, "H-Hey...How's it going?"

Kairi's fists were curled up by his hip to support herself as her tears trickled down onto his body. She shook her head, whimpering to him, "W-What happened?"

Mew closed his eyes and passed off the pain in his usual lighthearted fashion, "O-Oh you know...I had Gravitus on the ropes when the son of a bitch threatened the planet with some out-of-nowhere energy blast...I-I went to stop it and whaddya know? He took advantage of that to stab me and drain my energy..."

Mew tried to raise his right hand to Kairi's face but it fell upon his chest. It landed so gently, yet was enough to make him cough up a bit more blood.

"Y-Yep...pretty much runnin' on empty here..." Mew's eyes started to close but he forced them open, his face quivering just to smile.

Kairi softly put her hands on Mew's chest and her white aura glowed beneath the palms. She tried push her aura into Mew's body while telling him in a panicked tone, "Just...just hold on! I'll heal you...You'll...you'll be fine!"

Mew coughed hard, drawing Kairi's gaze to his eyes. He rested his fingertips atop her hands and chuckled at her, "Don't...b-bother...You don't even know the first thing about healing..."

"Y-Yes I do..." She muttered, her eyes averting his.

"...And you call me a bad liar?" Mew said in a humored tone and slowly closed his eyes for a moment, "I-It'll be fine...just...just let me rest and I'll be in tip-top shape before you know it."

Kairi withdrew her hands but curled them into fists before they were off Mew's body. She then closed her eyes and spat out in a clueless fashion, "Why...?"

"Cause its not that b-"

"I-I mean 'Why do you keep pretending everything's going to be ok'?" She swung her tear drenched eyes open and yelled at Mew, "You're dying Mew! And this time...I-I don't think..."

"Nah." He replied coolly, taking her completely by surprise.

He smiled and looked her in the eyes, "I-I told you didn't I? I-If I'm going to die...its going to be on my terms."

"Ghh...!" Mew grimaced and looked towards the sky, "S-Saving the planet and ruining a tyrant's schemes? N-Not a bad way to go all things considered but...There's...there's still a lot I want to do."

"L-Like what?" Kairi murmured through her quivering lips.

"Well my goat buddy could still use his daily meal...I never got around to cleaning the dust mites underneath my bed...I've always wanted to go to the beach in the summertime..." Mew somehow mustered up enough strength to snap his fingers at Kairi and say, "Oh and one other thing..."

"I was...kind of hoping we'd go out on a date?"

"H..." Kairi's face turned light red as she squeamishly remarked, "Huh?!"

"Yeah you know...just to give it a shot once? Know what its like?" Mew's weird way of putting it diminished the red from Kairi's cheeks and got her looking tipsily at the ground.

"O...oh..."

"But we'll worry about that... after I get some rest..." Mew stared up at the sky and his eyes started to close.

Kairi's heart skipped a beat and she clung tightly onto Mew's hand. She raised it up to her chest and pleaded with him desperately, "D-Don't go! You're not allowed to die while I'm around, y-you got that?!"

Mew's eyes perked the tiniest bit up and he smiled at her. But instead of a heartfelt acknowledgment of her plea he chuckled at her and insisting on saying, "Q-Quit being so melodramatic...I'm telling you...It'll all be fine."

"N-No its not...not without you..." Kairi whispered aloud as she put her chin to Mew's hand and let her tears run free onto it.

Mew's face froze up. He relaxed into a smile and told her quietly, "Nah. You don't need me anymore. You've passed your classes with flying colors."

Mew's eyes closed and his voice faded into silence, "Now go...kick his ass...for..."

He shut his eyes with a smile and his hand fell out of Kairi's grasp. Kairi's hands lingered in place, soaked with Mew's dried blood. She squeezed her hands and the little bit that was moist oozed between her fingers. She hung her head over Mew's chest and whimpered, her cries deafened by the roar of thunder above.

A flash of lightning eclipsed her body in shadow, which was cast upon her by none other than Gravitus. The man lingered as a malicious presence overhead, standing before the pale clouds that cast lightning in his domineering presence.

"At long last, his discord shall spread no further..." Gravitus calm voice was the bane of Kairi's last shred of patience. Her frown quickly turned to a scowl, and her knuckles softly cracked upon her skin.

She stood onto her feet with her head still hung, enduring the callous bellowing of the man she so utterly despised, "Now then my daughter...Your time in the shadows has come to an end."

His body creaked as he drew his hand out and asked of her, "Step forth into the light. Accept your destiny. And together, we can bring peace to this-"

"Go to hell." Kairi barked back, silencing Gravitus instantly.

She turned around and swung her head up the moment she was aligned with Gravitus. Her eyes were dried and glared with a pious fury through the man's deceptive act.

"You don't want peace. You want obedience! And anyone who doesn't follow you gets a death sentence at your hands!" Kairi put a hand on her gesture and waved the other back down at Mew, "I will **never** follow you...Because no matter how hard you try, you'll never be even a tenth of the man Mew was!"

Gravitus slanted his eyes and the air around him grew discordant. Lightning churned as swift as a heartbeat as he growled down to his daughter, "You _will_ take the Neo Drive, daughter."

"_Never_. As long as it remains out of your reach you'll _never_ win." Kairi stood her ground and gnashed her teeth in defiance.

Gravitus closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. He only seemed mildly perturbed as he raised his hand out and set them aglow, "I allowed you free will out of courtesy towards you being my flesh and blood...But I have squandered enough time playing along with the stubbornness of a _child_."

Kairi became surrounded by Gravitus' energy and her body jerked around towards the Neo Drive's container. She dug her heels into the ground and fought back, but she was forcibly dragged along centimeters at a time.

"I know you are worthy. And you **will** receive the Neo Drive...I doubt it will care if its wielder comes with a few broken bones..."

Kairi's hand was raised against her will and she grunted with all her might to break free. But as hard as she fought, fate seemed to be inevitable...

_Meanwhile, on the ground..._

In the aftermath of Mew and Gravitus' brief scuffle in the city, the Aurians were coming to terms with everything they saw and heard. As some Aurians were pulled out of their broken, flipped over houses, others were murmuring amongst themselves for answers.

Bobby walked through the crowd, carrying some of the papers from Mew's notebook against his chest. He nervously peered up at the Pyramid, and could feel a terrible vibe coming from the top. Between that and the suddenness of Mew flying out to and falling from space, he couldn't shake this feeling that everything had gone horribly wrong.

But what did the other Aurians think of this? Well, some of the conversations he heard were as follows:

"What was that just now?"

"I-I don't know...It all happened so fast. There was a guy wrapped in some black goop and...I think our leader was fighting him?"

"Fighting him? Yeah he was. And he tore up part of the city just to try and get him! I almost saw my life flash before my eyes man!"

"Its not like he was trying to hurt us. You heard what he said. That stranger was an assassin sent by that witch to kill him!"

"Oh yeah, he did say that...So that black goopy person was a bad guy?"

"Yeah exactly! Lord Gravitus was fighting to protect us, and that asshole forced him into the city to make him hold back!"

"That's horrible! I can't believe that assassin would do that...Such an underhanded trick."

"I know right?"

"...S-Still, you heard what else Gravitus was saying right? About us...joining him in the stars?"

"Y-Y-You were just hearing things man. It...it was another of that assassin's dirty tricks!"

"R-Right, right...What was I thinking dude..."

"How horrible, our leader almost got us killed!"

"No he didn't, don't be stupid! It was all that evil guy's doing."

"But-"

"But nothing! I saw him hanging around with that witch and her satanic daughter. To think, they were all planning a coup this entire time!"

"I...I had no idea. He seemed like such a nice kid too when he asked me to take part in his survey."

"You let him sway you? Don't you see now that it was all part of his propaganda?!"

"I'm sorry. I should have had a little more faith in our leader's character..."

"Did I hear that right? W-Was that Gravitus guy saying something about sending us to war?"

"You got wax in your ears bro. He said we'd be joining him in the stars. Y'know like...maybe Sancturia'll become a space colony!"

"That does sound pretty rad."

"Doesn't it?! And all Gravitus has to do is eliminate a few posers and its all good!"

"Yeah, that assassin guy, the witch...Uhhhh, anyone else?"

"Probably the witch's daughter. God, I hope that bitch gets her just desserts!"

"...Y-Yeah, same here."

"_What the __**hell**__?" _Bobby was disgusted by all the negativity that permeated the air. It appeared as though every single Aurian besides him was content to just stand back and let things play out without listening, even the slightest bit, to any doubts they may share.

He hunched his head over with a tight scowl and his body trembled angrily at all this. He closed his eyes and the blood rushed to his head, making his vision feel hot and red. All of a sudden he blindly swung his eyes open and screamed at the top of his lungs, "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

His cry spread to all throughout Sacturia thanks to his Drive and he threw his fists down to his hips. All eyes were on him as he stepped into the spotlight and stomped his feet towards his fellow Aurians with a look of utter disgust.

"You're just going to turn a blind eye to everything you saw and heard?! HUH?! Cause it sure as hell wasn't Mew who did all this damage or planted those words in Gravitus' mouth!"

"Oh yeah, and why should we listen to Mr. Co-Conspirator?" A smarmy boy nearby wound up getting decked in the face by Bobby and thrown to the ground.

"Because you've obviously got your head so far up your ass that you refuse to see reason!" The guy stayed down and nobody bothered to even try to restrain Bobby.

He turned around and put a hand on his chest and swung an arm towards the Pyramid, "Yeah! I helped Mew spread the word! And you know why?!"

He calmed down a bit and tearfully squeezed his fists by his hips, "Because a couple years ago, the girl I loved disappeared...And all signs pointed to Gravitus being responsible."

He swung his head up and resumed yelling, "Back then I was too scared to say anything, because this city and my own people had me believing it was the wrong thing to do!"

He walked over to a mother and her five-year old child and accusingly pointed at them, "Two years ago Shina babysat your kid when you were getting treated for an ear infection!"

"Y-Yes she did, b-but..."

Bobby motioned right over to a short guy a few feet away and proclaimed, "And didn't Shina help you rearrange your shelves because you were too short to reach all of them?!"

"Hey! I got a height complex-" Said the four-foot tall man.

Bobby turned around and swung his arms out, his eyes as wide as silver dollars, "Shina helped most of you out and asked nothing in return, but the moment she did something completely selfless to save Kairi's life you decided to label her as a traitor and ostracize her AND her younger sister!"

The Aurians looked at each other, some of them wearing remarkably saddened expressions. Bobby remarked in a blunt tone of voice, "Don't you see that this is what Gravitus wanted all along?! He's lied to us! Manipulated us! All so we'd become his pawns, and turn our heads away while he gets away with murder and god knows what else?!"

"And don't tell me none of you have ever thought this way. I've read the notes Mew collected..." Bobby left the doubtful no choice but to step forth and expose themselves and their opinions to the general public. Little did Bobby know though was that his words were having an effect on all of Sancturia...

There were still a few bitter folk who brought up points like "Kairi's hurt us!" or "Auris is a heartless, immortal witch!" but Bobby was armed and ready to beat back these words with his own.

"Kairi went too far. I'm not going to deny that...But does that mean she should pay for it with her life?! Aren't we all better than that?!" He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath, "And I'm not 100% sure of the kind of person Auris is but I do know one thing...She is a mother. And if any of you parents out there lost their children to a cold, heartless tyrant I doubt you'd feel inclined to be very social either..."

Some of the adults in the area looked down at their kids and a couple of them picked them up to hug them tight. Bobby caught his breath for a few seconds and then a girl stood out from the crowd to approach him with an earnest question.

"B-But what can we do...? He's...he's a monster..."

Bobby closed his eyes and remembered what Mew told him, then repeated it to the crowds as loud as he could muster, "Our bodies may be weak but we'll show that bastard that our hearts are stronger than his!"

He then swung his fist high up and filled it with his glowing aura, letting out a roar of imminent triumph, "Are you ready?!"

All throughout Sancturia, fists were raised aglow as they shouted out a collective, "YEAH!"

Atop the Pyramid, Gravitus looked down at all these lights and lit up with a smile, "Ah wonderful. My people are already celebrating..."

Kairi was inches away from the Neo Drive, and she was still struggling with all she got. Gravitus couldn't wait any longer. He turned from the lightshow and shoved Kairi the last step of the way to the pillar. The forceful caress of her fingertips on the glass pane nevertheless made it disappear from sight.

Gravitus' eyes bulged and he trembled at the hand as he muttered, "Finally...I knew it to be true..."

Suddenly all those lights that he had dismissed as mere fireworks converged upon his location simultaneously. Alone they were mere flies, but together they struck with a resounding thunderclap of blasts that rattled the man's body and made him recoil a bit back in shock.

"W-What?!" He growled as he swung his head around and wondered, "What is the meaning of this?!"

Kairi let out a gasp as her body was set free from Gravitus' control. Her hand fell and rested on the edge of the Neo Drive's container. Inside, the rainbow stone inviting her with its magnificent glow. She slowly raised her head and turned it down towards the city.

"E-Everyone..." She had no further words beyond that, and no time to think of any. Gravitus was distracted, his eyes darting to-and-fro for answers.

Kairi firmed her gaze onto the Neo Drive and ripped it free from its confines. Without thinking she slapped it down onto her bracelet to activate it.

Gravitus swung his head back and thrust his hand out while yelling, "NO!"

But he had missed his chance. A bright, pale neon light flushed forth from the stone and alighted the sky clean of all its discorded clouds. Softly the Neo Drive's power shone, quietly did it stir the air. In its presence Gravitus grit his teeth and found his body being pushed back against his will.

In the center of the light Kairi closed her eyes and felt the layers of her body being peeled away at. But it did not hurt. It was...rather comforting actually. And amidst this warmth an elderly woman's voice called out to her.

"_Well done my child...I knew that someday I could entrust someone with this power...The future's yours to decide, but I know you shall make it bright..."_

The light collapsed around Kairi like a cocoon and then cracked open as a pair of foggy rainbow butterfly wings on her back. Each part of the wing was as big as she was. But beyond that nothing had changed outwardly. She was in her regular clothes, and floated there with her head held up and a pointed glare aimed at Gravitus.

The man quivered in his shoes and grit his teeth into a scowl. Kairi spoke, her voice containing a mild but divine echo, "Its over Gravitus. You have lost."

Gravitus closed his eyes and grumbled like a spoiled child, "Betrayed...by my own people!"

Kairi thrust her hand up towards him and exclaimed, "There's only one traitor here...!"

She then squeezed her fist at him and remarked, "And he's about to leave this world for good!"

Gravitus shook some more but then rose his body up, beaming with a maddening smile. He swung his right arm down and summoned his scythe to his hand, remarking in an unwarranted tone of confidence, "Do not get cocky with me daughter...You may wield my power now but I **am** still the strongest Aurian who has ever lived! And I will take back what is rightfully mine soon enough..."

Kairi planted her fist to her hip and shook her head almost out of pity for the man's delusions, "I get it now. The Neo Drive isn't a power meant for one person..."

Her eyes flared open and her irises glowed with a neon energy as she yelled out, "This power belongs to everyone! And so someone selfish like you...would never have been able to use it properly!"

"You do not understand **power**. But I will _make _you understand..." Gravitus' scythe blade whirred with a sinister energy.

Kairi spread her new wings and declared, "Your reign. The lies. All the terror you caused my family and Mew...It all ends right here, right NOW Gravitus!"

_Next Time: For You_


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30: Gravitus Final: Ode to You**

Gravitus attacked without a second thought. His rage channeled into a hard, violent swing of his scythe. The air quaked as a gash of black electricity ripped towards Kairi.

Kairi blinked and the next moment had glided to the right away from the attack. Her body left different colored shades in her wake. The energy felt like a breeze to her and at worse ruffled her hair.

She flew at Gravitus in another blink of the eye and thought of her weapon. But instead of the usual staff an energy blade extended from her hand and allowed her to cut the man from hip to shoulder.

Kairi pulled back in shock for a moment while Gravitus recoiled from the wound. With just the blade's tip Kairi had gotten halfway into his body. Gravitus put his hand on the wound and closed it. The he formed new scars by closing his fist tight and scrapping the skin with his fingertips.

He then lashed his hand out and flung an energy ball with a contorted form. Kairi sliced it in half with her bare hand without considering it for a second. Her body's instincts were kicked into overdrive, and it was as though she could see things coming a second or two in advance.

This was in part the power of the Neo Drive adapting to her body, but there was also Mew's training to consider as well. Kaiir opened her right hand and turned it around, observing the Neo Drive pulse on her bracelet. It all had happened so fast but there was no denying that this was no dream. She **was** wielding the Neo Drive.

Kairi squeezed her fist taut and rushed at Gravitus with a flurry of blade thrusts. She saw every strike but to Gravitus it all appeared as a blur. Each stab wound was as big as her fist, and contorted at the opening.

Gravitus merely grit his teeth and let loose a gravity bubble around his body. Kairi quickly shoved her hands against it and pushed it back. So he doubled-down the pressure, and the gravel on top of the Pyramid started sliding off the edge. Kairi spread her wings and kept pressing onward inches at a time.

Gravitus tripled the pressure and even Mew's body started to slide towards the edge. Kairi stayed right where she was and forced some of her energy into the gravity sphere, overloading it to the breaking point. Kairi moved a few feet back while Gravitus tumbled off. The sonic boom would've popped the ears of most normal Aurians.

Gravitus propped himself upright and his face was damp with swear, mixing with the blood Mew left him earlier. His face looked more fitting for the kind of man Kairi saw him as. But to the bitter end that man seemed dead-set on refusing that side of him.

"I gave you life...And this is how you repay me?" He growled in anger.

"That's all you gave me! You've taken so much more away!" Kairi raised her right hand and the Neo Drive fed the palm a heaping helping of energy, "You...are not my father!"

She fired just one small sphere and the shockwave from its release nearly knocked her back. It was power she was unaccustomed to. She quickly held her ground and fired a couple more spheres.

Gravitus tried to cut them with his scythe just to have a taste of the Neo Drive's power. But for every one he cut an explosion was there to greet his face and leave him empty-handed.

"_Lets see what else this can do...!" _Kairi tried experimenting by throwing her arms cross before her waist and spreading her wings up. Energy fired out and rained upon Gravitus as a series of beams.

He put his defenses up but the energy burned right through them and parts of his armor. Kairi then bladed both hands and slashed them up, sending a wide "X" through the center of Gravitus' body.

What was torn apart was swiftly pulled together, but Gravitus' eyes looked shook all the while.

Gravitus curled his hands around his scythe and vigorously lunged and swung forth with all his might. The sky warped in his presence and he had his mountain cleaving swing seconds from Kairi's head.

The pressure made her eyes widen but her heart stuck to its normal pace. In the blink of an eye she was gone and all Gravitus destroyed were some mildly irritating dust mites.

"Too slow." Kairi waited a couple seconds for Gravitus to turn around before punching him square in the nose.

With her knuckles burrowed into his face all it'd take is one thought, and a blade would run through his head. But it wasn't the time to end this.

"_Mew would probably tell me not to let revenge consume me..." _And she wouldn't. She could think clearly about things while Gravitus could not. He was like a mad bull focused entirely on her. He had played all his tricks and would have no way of throwing anyone else in harm's way.

"_But this man ruined my life...And I'm going to make sure he knows it!" _Kairi settled on blasting him with something resembling a shotgun spread.

"Ghh...Gahh!" It hurt him, a lot. The wounds Mew gave him were still fresh.

"...Thanks Mew." Kairi closed her eyes for a moment out of respect then thrust them open fiercely towards Gravitus.

Gravitus closed his eyes and swung his scythe wildly around his body while the pain burned out. Kairi saw everything coming and moved to avoid it.

All she felt from Gravitus' swings was raw angry. Everything he had worked so hard to achieved via lies was being undone, and now he had been "robbed" of his life goal.

Kairi eventually just flew out of range of his attacks and let him keeping swinging for a bit longer. She had a brief smile watching him come to realization that he was doing nothing to her. He opened his eyes and they were glazed over, with his gums dried over with his blood. He put his left hand up by his shoulder and breathed in slowly.

"You...do not deserve...that power..."

Kairi propped a hand on her hip and closed her eyes to say, "You're probably right. I never would've even gotten this far if it wasn't for the people me making it possible."

"But that doesn't mean **you **deserve it either!" Gravitus scowled tightly as Kairi raised her hand at him, "You think everything revolves around you! But you never would've made it this far if it wasn't for others too! But god forbid you treat people as anything more than your tools and slaves!"

"Hahaha!" Gravitus simply cackled with sounds of triumph and Kaiir narrowed her gaze at him, "It feels good doesn't it? To have the ability to stand superior over those you despise? But I will tell you as many times as I can..."

Gravitus' body surged with energy and rocked the very heavens above, "The Neo Drive is **my **destiny, and I shall see it fulfilled no matter what it takes!"

Gravitus thrust a high-gravitational pulse from his body too wide for Kairi to avoid. She took it head on and it made her body quiver. Gravitus fired two more pulses in quick succession and rushed Kairi head-on. He grabbed her by the skull and opened up the hollow part of his body.

"But I thank you for demonstrating some of the Neo Drive's potential...It is more magnificent than I could have possibly-!" Kairi summoned blades from her feet and stabbed them up through Gravitus' chest, nearly grazing his neck.

With this support and wrestling her hands around his wrist, Kairi tossed him off behind her as though he was light like a pillow. Gravitus jerked back and swung his left arm out, firing a string of energy bolts.

Kairi turned sideways and propped a sword up to her shoulder so the energy was cleaved around her body.

She then slashed down and sent a wave of her own right back at him. Gravitus squeezed his hand but the energy would not collapse, giving him little choice but to dodge. He turned his head down and pulled his hand up.

Debris was wrenched off the sides of the Pyramid and tossed at Kairi. He then thrust spheres of gravitus at her and raised his scythe in the other hand. He dragged in aura not from himself, but from the people observing down below. It gave his scythe a dark neon shine and extended its length to fifty feet long.

There was a lot of clutter to cut through and Kairi couldn't make much forward progress in the meanwhile. She focused on what Gravitus had prepared and briefly shut her eyes in worry.

"_I got to get that scythe somehow...!" _

"**KRRRRRROOOOOARRR!"**

A sound like thunder tore through the sky, mixed with a beastly roar. Kairi opened her eyes and watched in shock and awe as a six foot tall tiger made of rainbow aura jumped Gravitus from behind and bit the scythe out of his hands. The creature's leg lit up like storm clouds and its fur looked like something out of mythology.

"I-Isn't that..." Kaiir swore she'd seen this beast before.

"Where?!" Gravitus, meanwhile, was stunned silent as the beast perched itself before him and cleaved his body across the wrists and abdomen with his own scythe.

The beast unburdened the weapon from its mouth then leapt towards Kairi with paws cutting the sky with lightning. Kairi edged away as the beast's eyes lined up with hers. But then it sat on its hind legs and purred like a domesticated cat.

"...It is you..." Kairi turned her head in confusion and moved in to pet the tiger on its head, "But how?"

The answer lied in the tiger's eyes, which were glossy enough to faintly reflect the symbol of the Beast Tamer's Drive that was in her pupils.

"Ah...!" Kairi slowly raised a couple fingers to her right eye, "T-That's..."

"I-Impossible...!" Gravitus pulled himself together and could not fight back the bodily tremors born of confusion, "You used another Drive in conjunction with the Neo Drive?!"

Kairi pulled way from her companion and exclaimed "That's right!" as if she knew she could do this all along.

Infuriated, Gravitus swung his right hand out to declare, "Silence!"

He used gravity to crush the tiger down flat as a pancake upon the Pyramid. Kairi used his rage to run in and thrust her swords across his body, ending by cutting up to the right.

Gravitus thrust his hand against Kairi's chest to shove her away before the blades reached his neck.

He left a gift behind. A little of his energy, blended into her aura. It produced enough gravitational force to pull the rubble remaining across the Pyramid towards her.

Kairi felt its presence and dashed off, only to find it kept up with her speed. So she swiftly turned and widened her eyes. She summoned the power of Neptune's Drive without a second thought and the flung debris bounced back into each other, creating a large cloud of gravelly dust.

Gravitus ambushed her from behind cover with his scythe, but its glow betrayed him. Kairi, however, chose to float there and take the scythe straight on with her head. The dust blew aside, and with its her aura was exposed as shining with a bright and holy glow. Gravitus could not breech it, no matter how hard he tried.

Kairi backhanded his scythe with a bladed wrist and slowly faced him as he staggered back. He was hunched over with a crooked posture and growled in disbelief, "That's not your power..."

"That's right!" Kairi opened her eyes wide with a burdening glare upon Gravitus, and her aura spread like a heat wave. The man's face became drenched in a greasy sweat, forcing his eyes shut.

"This is the power of the people you deceived the most...Now taste it!" Kairi briefly swapped to Uranus' Drive in order to freeze Gravitus' sweat in absolute zero temperatures.

Everything from his eyes to his scowl was locked up, making it hard for him to even breathe. But he still wasted those precious breaths grunting and blasting pulses of gravitational force into Kairi.

She was repelled yet kept charging back at him, an unstoppable force devoid of an insurmountable wall to stop her.

Gravitus grabbed his face and blasted it with energy to shatter the ice then thrust his blood shot eyes wide-open. He started rapid-firing gravity pulses, each stronger than the last. Then he raised his hands to the sky and channeled energy into a barely functional sphere. Excess energy spasmed out and lashed against the sides of the Pyramid, pulling even more debris into the sky.

Gravitus threw that stuff at Kairi and she froze it solid with Uranus' Drive. But Gravitus kept at it, forcing Kairi to surround herself in a thick, icy prison.

Gravitus now had his sphere grown to ten times the size of his body, but it wouldn't be enough for him to just fling it. He first crushed the sphere down to half its size and the vacuum created dragged Kairi in closer to ensure she'd be hit.

Her cold cocoon started to crack, and then became completely split in twine. Kairi's wings spread large than they ever had before, thanks in part to Jupiter's Drive.

Their overwhelming size and beauty, along with their shadow cast in a pale gloom, intimidated Gravitus to the point of having him fire hastily.

Kairi then casually swung her right hand and contained Gravitus within a pillar of aura. Thanks to Saturn's Drive, Gravitus' sphere exploded on him without making a dent in the pillar.

But it was dispelled regardless so the blast would propel Gravitus away and Kairi could enjoy the growing anger in his eyes.

The man positioned himself upright and flailed his head around. He then thrust his hand up and blasted Kairi with a shockwave of pure gravity.

She hardly felt a thing. She propped one hand on her hip and slowly shook her head. Gravitus was staggering over from using so much of his energy throughout the battle.

He stood little chance from the start but now its was painfully obvious that even that slim possibility had been lost to him.

And it left him in a state of madness. His face even looked ready to crack. Gravitus was a monster, but he was still mortal. He still had limits. And with his vulnerability exposed, Kairi's nightmare was now cowering before her.

"Its over Gravitus...You have lost." She said in a stern tone of voice.

Gravitus squeezed the side of his head and raised his eyes. He growled in annoyance, "Who are you...to look down on me?!"

"You know nothing of endurance...Or pain...Or suffering..." His right hand was thrust behind him towards the sky, "Nor of what it takes...to be worthy of saving this ungrateful universe!"

His hand glowed bright and he wrenched it down with a roar. He then stood in silence, and smirked as the winds turned turbulent. Kairi watched as fire quickly rained from the sky, bringing with its bits of metal and glass upon Sancturia.

All of this had a source in the form of a gigantic satellite that was being dragged down from space by Gravitus' power. It was coming in fast, leaving little time to evacuate everyone in the city.

With an undue serenity as his body was bathed in red light, Gravitus gave Kairi an ultimatum, "Choose, daughter! Shall you take the satellite head-on...Or kill me as Sancturia burns?!"

Kairi closed her eyes as the heat rose fast and declared to Gravitus, "To hell with your options! I will choose..."

Her eyes opened with a black symbol for "Gravity" appearing in her pupils, "My own path forward!"

She swung her right hand up and wrapped the whole satellite in her aura, stopping it in place. Then she squeezed her hand shut, crunching the whole thing down to the atomic level so Gravitus could no longer use it.

Gravitus gawked at the improbability of what he'd seen and looked back at Kairi. She put her hand back on her hip and said in a more firm tone of voice, "It. Is. Over, Gravitus."

Gravitus propped a hand up by his chest and started to pant. But instead of the expected outburst, his face suddenly shone with a smirk.

He stood tall and proposed something with completely unwarranted confidence, "You won't kill me."

"What are you talking about?" Kairi said in a baffled tone.

"You forget...I'm not just the leader of Sancturia. My own people may have betrayed me but there are hundreds of worlds out there that are grateful for the peace I have brought them. If you kill me, those worlds will be thrown back into chaos, their people taken advantage of by those cowering in the shadows."

He extended his hands out beside his body and slowly shook his head, "You cannot simply slay the messiah and expect things to end cleanly, my dear, foolish daughter."

"...Nobody's going to miss you. Give people enough time to see the truth and the name 'Gravitus' will disappear from the history books forever." Kairi asserted without hesitation.

Can you really say that with confidence? Gravitus pointed a single finger at her and remarked with a chuckle, 典he Neo Drive is powerful...But it alone cannot stave the vengeance of a hundred worlds.

_He may have a point... _Kairi narrowly glared the man in the eyes and held her head up to look down upon him, _的__f I didn't know he's just trying to worm his way out of this!_

I won't be alone anymore. If your followers are desperate enough for vengeance, then everyone in Sancturia will stand together and fend them off! She proclaimed to dispel any grand notions Gravitus may have had of making her yield.

Gravitus curled his fingers inward and his hand retreated to his side as a scowl crossed his face. He muttered under his breath, 鉄uch unjustly naivete...

Then raised his voice in anger to lambaste his daughter's decision, 鉄o you will willingly sow chaos into this world once more?! You are too young, too sheltered, to understand the consequences of your actions!

Kairi did not flinch as she endured the tantrum of the tyrant dethroned, 典o think that my own flesh and blood would fall to the hubris that all who call themselves 'heroes' do...You have labeled me the villain of your story, and so that gives you the right to ignore the pain of the common folk?!

Gravitus raised his head and let out an unhinged roar, 的 was born to bring peace to this universe! It is I who am worthy of the Neo Drive, not YOU! And if you kill me...everything that comes after is on _your _head.

Maybe you should have thought about that before you raped my mother you son of a bitch. Kairi responded coldly to every bit of rage then stared bitterly at the man's face.

But I'm not going to kill you yet...There's still one thing you have to answer for.

...What? Gravitus growled.

What did you do to my sister Shina? And don't lie to me, I want to hear the truth and nothing but the truth!

Gravitus suddenly widened his eyes and pulled his head back, placing one hand upon his forehead as he started with a quiet laugh that got progressively louder.

That's right...you have a sister... It came about as a sudden revelation to him but to Kairi it reeked of callousness.

Answer me! She proclaimed with little patience towards his shenanigans.

Gravitus put his head back in place and stared at Kairi with a smile, 的 had almost forgotten all about her...Now it all makes sense why you want me dead...

He propped his hand out towards her coolly and remarked, 釘ut you're mistaken if you think I killed her.

What?! Kairi narrowed her eyes and her body exploded angrily with her energy.

Gravitus propped his hand up and remarked, 的 am not lying. Though, I shall say I did have a hand in her disappearance.

Kairi tensed up as Gravitus continued, 鏑ets just say that there were certain obligations she needed to fulfill unrelated to the Neo Drive. But all I did was help push her in the right direction.

Gravitus extended his hand towards her and remarked in a smarmy tone of voice, 釘ut if you spare my life, I can tell you where she is.

Kairi was trembling from head-to-toe and squeezed her eyes shut. She gently raised her head and thought to herself, _鉄__-Shina's...alive?_

What shall it be? We can make it a nice family reunion... Gravitus' honeyed words were met with a firm glare from Kairi's end.

Forget it. You told me everything I need to know, Upon her mentioning that Gravitus' last shred of confidence dropped right off the face of the Earth and he shook with a scowl, 鉄hina's alive, which means I can find her on my own! You're no longer needed, _Damascus_.

Gravitus squeezed his fists and threw out one last verbal lashing towards his daughter, 泥o not mock me! You only believe things to be so simple because you've had a taste of power! But the universe is vast, and there are **things** out there that an untrained youth such as you could never best, especially not with MY power!

Kairi closed her eyes and said, 添ou just don't get it do you? This isn't **your **power, its everyone's!

She then whipped her right hand behind her back and squeezed it tight, filling the confines of her fist with an exuberant amount of aura. She stared deep into the frightened, maddened look of her mortal enemy and proclaimed at the top of her lungs, 鉄o if you want it so badly...THEN TAKE IT!

She then lashed her hand out and a cone of deep, sparkling energy exploded forth from her palm. Gravitus was quickly consumed, devoured by the energy he wanted so badly. He crossed his arms and his shields were peeled away through many blinks of an eye.

His eyes were forced open as the vast energy pushed him away. Everything about it was calm. It felt like he was floating among a starry sea. As the light began to overwhelm him completely, his resisting grunts died down and he lowered his arms down to his sides.

And, for a brief second, he cracked a smile and whispered to himself with the joy of a child, 溺arvelous...

The energy quickly shot his body into the depths of space, where the cold vacuum could dispose of his corpse for all Kairi cared. When it was all said and done, the only thing in her line of sight was the bright blue sky and the sun's rays beaming down into her eyes.

She shaded her eyes with one hand and slowly caught her breath. Pushing out that much energy all that once was physically exhausting, and yet it felt like she still had half of the Neo Drive's power available to her.

Kairi raised her other hand before her chest and summoned a bit of that power into her palm. The energy reflected into her eyes, drawing her in with an enticing allure.

With this power, who knows what I could do...? Her heart thumped loudly against her chest. But then she squeezed her hand shut and shook her head, letting out a kitten-like peep.

She then took one last look at the sky, Gravitus' last cry of desperation echoing in her head for a bit before she silenced it and said, 擢inally, its over...

But victory had to come with a price. She leaned her head over her shoulder and looked atop the Pyramid. She floated on down to where Mew's corpse lied and was shocked at how unperturbed it was. The rest of the Pyramid around him was in a pretty beat up shape that she had to be careful where she stepped.

She softly stopped to the left of him and got on her knees. She looked at her hands again and thought to herself in a melancholic tone, _溺__aybe if I use the Neo Drive I could...I could..._

It wasn't a bad idea to try, but something was telling her that it was just her being optimistic. She closed her eyes, let out a dry sniffle, then shut off the Neo Drive with but a thought. Only a single tear crossed her cheek as she looked Mew in the face and placed a hand upon his chest.

...Goodbye Mew. T-Thank you for- Her hand moved up, then slowly back down.

...H-Huh? She kept her hand down and saw as Mew's chest rose then descended. And underneath that skin and bone was a small, if not lively heartbeat.

Kairi thought she had done something to restart Mew's heart without even thinking about it. But then she started to hear a sound that showed just how long Mew had been alive for.

Zzzzzzz...zzzzzz...

Her eyes narrowed and she ruffled her nose in annoyance, _的__s he...snoring?! _

She pulled her hand back to her knees, clenching them both into fists. She then slowly stood up, trembling from head-to-toe with anger. Her forehead throbbed as she squeezed her eyes shut, and summoned her staff in both her hands.

Then without a second word she stabbed her staff down beside Mew's right ear and the loud noise thrust his eyes open. He jerked his head around a bit and proclaimed, 滴uh?! What?! What's going on?!

As he found Kairi's staff pointed directly at his face his skin went pale and his pupils shrank to the size of dots. Kairi wrenched her hands tightly around the staff and remarked with a burning glare poised at his chest, 添ou faked your death again?!

W-What? No...no I didn't! Mew replied, trying desperately not to smile as he put the end of her staff against his chin.

Do I have to kill you myself just for you to get it?! She yelled, clearly guided by pure emotion.

Mew widen his eyes until they looked ready to pop out and declared, 添ou're the only one who thought I was dying! I **swear**, this wasn't a jape!

Promise?! She declared.

Promise! Mew hastily replied.

Kairi squinted her eyes, dispelled her staff, then plopped right back onto her knees and threw her head back to let out a long, agonizing sigh.

I swear to god this better not become a routine with you... Her words were angry but her tone was a tender mix of relief and fighting back tears of joy.

...Are you crying? Mew said while tilting his head to try and see.

Kairi thrust her head up with her cheeks bright red and proclaimed, 哲-No! I-I-I don't care that you're alive! Go back to being dead!

Mew let out a jolly laugh and her face froze up with embarrassment. Mew then smiled and said, 滴ey! The fact that I'm still alive must mean you did it right? Gravitus got the boot, you got the Neo Drive, everything worked out in the end yeah?

Kairi pouted, turning her aside to mutter, 添-Yeah...

Told ya so. Mew turned his head back and whistled innocently as Kairi gave him grief.

Oh like you knew everything would work out ok! She was half-tempted to punch him in the chest for his nonchalance but held back at the last moment.

Truth be told I should've finished Gravitus off sooner but...Eh, hindsight's a bitch, Mew then started lifting his head up and remarking, 釘ut hey! Now we can go home and-

His entire face grimaced and he plopped right back to the ground with a painful scowl, 鄭ck! Right! Spine's still broken in half...!

He plopped his arms close to his hips and said in a brash tone of voice, 展elp, we got no other choice. You'll need to carry me back!

What?!

Well god Kairi what am I supposed to do?! Wobble my way down the Pyramid?! Mew shuddered at the thought.

... Kairi stared blankly at Mew's face then scooped her hands underneath his back and started to lift him up, 鏑ike this?

Mew grimaced and hissed 鼎loser! Closer! as his back was being bent down towards the pain spot. Kairi slid her arms in closer and while it wasn't the best setup, at least this would keep the pain to a minimum.

Mew held his head up and Kairi looked at him to ask, 鉄-So which way should I go?

I don't know, but it'd probably be better if we got to your mom as soon as possible.

So, slide down? Kairi said as she walked towards the edge.

Yeah sure, just make sure to hold on- Mew and Kairi's hearts skipped a beat as the edge of the Pyramid top collapsed upon its own weakness and the debris barreled down the side. Kairi cautiously edged back and Mew scratched the side of his face to mutter, 徹oookay then...

Stairs? Kairi inquired.

Stairs. Mew dully remarked.

As she turned and made her way over there, tip-toeing around the big hole in the ground, Mew chuckled and remarked aloud, 添ou know forget the date, we're practically on our honeymoon the way you're carrying me right now!

Kairi stopped, turned towards the hole, and effortlessly raised Mew over the hole. Mew flailed his hands around and hastily proclaimed, 適idding! Kidding! P-Please don't drop me!

She lowered him back down and silently made her way over to the stairs. As she began to long trip down, she looked down at Mew and asked him in friendly tone, 鉄o...A demon in your head?

Oh yeah... Mew responded, 徹k see, it started a little over two years ago...

_Next Time: Aftermath_


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: So Long Despair**

It was a long climb back down the Pyramid. But with Gravitus' demise Mew and Kairi felt fine taking as much time as they needed.

The damage to the floors was far more intense on the outside than it was on the inside. It wasn't irreparable though. Surely someone would be tasked to fixing this up later.

When Mew had finished confiding with Kairi on everything he knew about "D.", she didn't have anything to say in return. She just nodded, then stayed silent on the way down.

Talking helped keep the pain at bay, at least for a bit. Mew didn't have much to say himself after the demon talk. He wanted to speak, but didn't know what kind of subject would work best.

He could tell Kairi was still upset at him for "faking his death", so to speak. But for as easy as it'd be to keep saying he wasn't dead...Mew honestly didn't know how he had survived. Spine broken in half, gaping wound in his chest...

"_Even if the wound was burned shut on re-entry, it should've re-opened when I hit the Pyramid..."_ Mew closed his eyes in a pained manner and turned his head right, _"I really should be dead...So why-"_

"_Oh hell, are you really going to make me say it?" _"D." suddenly spat in misery.

"_You? It was you who saved me?!" _Mew widened his eyes in disbelief and chuckled, _"Hell's really frozen over now!"_

"Is something funny?" Kairi asked while Mew had to also hear "D." growl in annoyance.

"Oh yeah you know what they say...Laughter's the best medicine!" Mew said to Kairi real quick.

"_But seriously, why?"_ He then asked the demon.

The answer was expected of one of his nature, _"You owe me your body. I will not let you break it with your reckless behavior."_

But this made for a prime opportunity to dabble in a little teasing, _"Admit iiiiit...You liked working together."_

"_...Shut up. You're more grating than a pack of hungry goblins."_

"Hehehe...!" Mew laughed some more, to Kairi's concern.

"Mew I think laughter's meant to help sadness, not backaches." She pointed out.

"Really? Cause I feel better already!" Mew leaned his head back and forced out a louder laugh, "Hahaha! Haha-"

Shaking his body pinched the open nerves in his spine and he bit down on the tip of his tongue. With his loud "Gack!" his laughter slowly infected Kairi.

"Teeheehee!" It was much more high-pitched than her usual tone and frankly, kind of cute.

She then smiled and daintily shook her head to say "God you're hopeless" in a humored manner.

A few more steps and they were finally outside the Pyramid. But when they stepped forth into the afternoon light they found themselves surrounded on all sides by Aurians. Mew had a bad angle of observation but swore that there were almost a thousand in the immediate vicinity.

Kairi stood still and her knees started shaking. All eyes were on them like a herd of hungry, wide-eyed monkeys.

Beyond the crowd Mew could feel charred glass and metal, broken pathways and houses, and a whole bunch of confusion in the air.

"Holy crap, I don't think this is my doing...What the hell happ-"

"Shhh!" Kairi hastily hissed between a forced grin. She edged towards the crowd and her teeth were clattering.

Their gaze followed every step, and soon Kairi's grin was concealed behind puckered lips. With a hard, deep gulp, she tensed her arms under Mew.

"Uh-oh, I got a bad feeling about this..." He whimpered.

Kairi suddenly darted forward through the crowd, making a beeline for home. Mew's back was rocked and tumbled through considerable pain.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"Sorrysorrysorry!" Kairi nervously proclaimed.

The crowd was content not to interfere. They kept watching and stepped aside if they were in the way. Finally they made their way to the Aurora household. In her haste to get in she rammed Mew's head and legs into the sides of the door.

"Ow! O-Oh come on!" Mew vented his frustrations to the heavens above.

"Sorry!" Kairi exclaimed upon fixing her position and walking in sideways.

"Mom!" She then bellowed in a fit of panic.

"I'm right here dear," Auris immediately replied softly from beside the farthest couch, "Go ahead and put him down here."

"H-How did you-" Kairi stuttered in shock.

"Well you heard her! Hurry! I'm starting to see doubles here!" Mew yelled out to distract and get Kairi re-focused.

"Ri-right!" Kaiir cautiously inched around the furniture and gently laid Mew to test on the couch. She then got out of the way so her mother could sit on the table before him.

Kairi perched her fingers by her teeth and nibbled on her fingernails while her mother's hands hovered over Mew's stomach. Auris then paused, turned her head, and said to her doting daughter, "You don't need to stick around dear."

"I-Is he going to be alright?" Kairi asked.

"He'll be fine. This one's too stubborn to die I'm afraid..." Auris chuckled. Mew silently looked at her with an insulted tilt of the head.

"Are you sure that-"

"You're done enough Kairi," Auris closed her eyes to smile, "You're tired. You should take a nice long relaxing shower. Leave Mew to me."

'...Alright mom." Kaiir nodded and made her way to the stairs. She kept turning at Mew even once she was at the top of the stairs. Before she was out of sight she quietly said, "M-Mom?"

"Yes dear?" Auris replied with an affirming smile.

"N-Nothing..." Kairi hastily went up the stairs and Auris shook her head.

"Such a hard time saying what's on her mind...I wonder where she got that naughty habit from..." Auris propped her hand back over Mew and he let out a hasty chuckle.

"Well, definitely not from her d-"

"Sh sh sh..." Auris hushed him up by flipping him over onto his stomach.

"We can talk about that in a bit..." Auris spoke in a comforting whisper. Then her hands got to work curling up Mew's shirt until it was past his shoulder blades. From there she slowly moved Mew's arms to pull it off.

"Sorry to say I didn't have a nurse's dress in my closet. But may that image relax you as I get to work..."

Mew closed his eyes and the vivid thoughts of Auris' rockin' body in nurses' clothes got his body melting like ice. But he didn't even get to hum before Auris stuck her thumb into his back.

"O-Ow!" Mew jerked his head back and remarked, "Why'd you do that?!"

"You aren't actually allowed to think dirty thoughts about me anymore. That was a test."

"Wha wha what?!" Mew blurted in a baffled fashion.

"Oh..." Auris laid a hand on her face and stared with overwhelming pity, "My poor summer child...You really hadn't noticed?"

"...Y'know I really doubt this' the time to be a tease Auris." Mew sighed in exasperation.

"Teehee...Oh I do look forward to seeing how long this lasts..." Auris waited for Mew's head to turn then reached into her breasts and whipped out a sharp knife from the cleavage, "Now hold still."

Mew turned back then widened his eyes open upon seeing the tip of the knife, "W-Whoa hang on now!"

Auris laced the knife with aura and even as she cut down Mew's back he didn't feel a thing. Even better, there was no blood coming out. It was a perfect, clean incision.

Mew fluttered his eyelashes and then rested his squeamish hands on the back and front of the couch. In a rare admission of defeat, he flicked his fingers back and remarked, "Huh...Carry on."

"Mmm hmm..." Auris laid the knife on the table for now and laid her hands on both sides of Mew's wound. She then closed her eyes and commented on the state of Mew's spine.

"You're quite lucky. There are no bone fragments in your muscles."

"So all it'll take is a quick patch job and I'll be good as new? Man, Aura really can do a lot, can't it!" Mew was excited, but Auris wasn't so enthused.

"Not quite..." Auris' aura flowed from her hands and into the wound like a gentle stream of water, "I will fortify your spine with aura so you stand up and walk again, while using a little aura to motivate the bone marrow to reconnect. But if you push yourself too hard for the next two days, it'll permanently break your spine."

"Soooo what you're saying is..."

"No training, no fighting, no reckless flying." Auris stated firmly.

Mew plopped his face into the leather cushion and grumbled in a muffled manner, "Awwww man..."

"But you can still play video games and watch TV." She then said with a perky smile.

"Oh that's good then!" Mew exclaimed with his head lifted right up.

Auris sealed the wound with a last bit of aura then rested her hands on her knees, "There you go. All better."

Mew sat right up without a second thought and stretched his arms high above his head. With a vigorous grunt he proclaimed, "Its like I just got outta bed! Thanks Auris!"

"You're welcome dear. Its the _least_ I could do really..."

Mew looked Auris in the eyes with his lips puckered then turned away, rubbing the back of his head. After a soft whistle he let out a long sigh and remarked, "...Sooo, do you want to talk now?"

Auris opened her eyes and replied in a ditzy manner, "Talk about what?"

"You know what involving your know who?" Mew didn't want to say it directly because he felt uncomfortable using those words around a woman.

Auris dug her fingertips into the space below her knees and pressed her lips into a smile. With a tilt of the head she replied, "Why don't you go first? How did that make you feel?"

Mew swung his head back and shook it around a little. The feelings still felt fresh even after the climb down, "Angry. Pissed off. I almost damn near blew it..."

He then looked Auris in the eyes and remarked, "Though I think now I get why you didn't tell me that sooner. I would've charged right into the Pyramid and demanded Gravitus' head."

"That's not why I didn't say anything," Auris laid a hand upon her chest and laid calmly spoke out, "My tight lips have always been towards Kairi's benefit."

"How so?" Mew inquired with a tilt of the head.

"To forge a bond of trust strong enough to pull her free from the shackles that bound her to the past required you to be yourself. **You **showed her what its like to be able to trust people outside of her sister again. And because of that, it made her worthy of the Neo Drive."

"...Auris, you knew all along what the Neo Drive judges worth as, didn't you?"

"But of course. I am not a Sage for nothing." She replied with a smile.

"Then what is it? I have literally no idea..."

"Its the capacity to care for more than just yourself. And after you 'died', when Kairi chose not to take revenge and give Gravitus the chance to win...That was the moment she truly became worthy."

Mew dragged his head to the back of the couch and let out a huge sigh, "Soooo you just brought me in to serve as fodder for Kairi's personal growth."

"Oh no no no..." Auris poked her eyes open and crease her smile wide to admit, "Even I couldn't have predicted you doing something as fucking stupid as nearly getting yourself killed three times over."

Mew recoiled fully into the couch and widened his eyes from Auris' choice of words there, "Geez! No mercy!"

She then creased her eyes shut and Mew felt a dangerous energy exuding from her body as she said, devoid of any trace of emotion, "If you try and pull a reckless stunt like that again in my presence then I will redefine the definition of 'No Mercy', _Mew_."

Mew shakily raised two thumbs-up and stuttered, "M-Message received loud and clear..."

After being given a chance to settle down Auris spoke to Mew in a comforting tone, "But no, it was more than that. I wanted to fill the missing space in your heart."

"Huh?" Mew gawked back.

"You can't deny that you've befriended my daughter now, yes? Or that you fought a battle with all your might that also meant something?" Auris laid a hand upon her chest and remarked, "You can consider _that_ to be your recompense for answering my call."

Mew crossed his arms against his chest and gazed up at the ceiling, "Well Kairi and I are definitely friends now...But I don't know if that battle was satisfying enough for me."

"Oh?" Auris curiously tilted her head up to get Mew's attention.

"I mean sure it was fun dismantling Gravitus' lies but...That son of a bitch totally robbed me of the chance to kill him, ugh!"

"Is that really so bad though?" Auris inquired.

Mew bobbed his head left-to-right then sat up and sighed, "Nooo...Kairi earned it."

He then laid his hands flat on his legs and leaned in to Auris to whisper, "Speaking of earning stuff...I really think you oughta tell Kairi about your clairvoyance and junk."

"There'll be a time for that some other day...But now, especially now, it'd just be an unnecessary crutch."

"Whaddya mean?" Before Mew could get an answer, much to his unsurprise, he could hear tiny footsteps making their way down the stairs. He silently closed his eyes and wagged his finger at Auris for her trickery then turned to greet the obvious someone coming down.

Kairi had put on a new green shirt but had exchanged her shorts out for long jeans. Her hair was clean and shiny but she appeared to have forgotten to tie it back up in a ponytail. She fidgeted her hand behind her head, looked down at the ground, and muttered something almost too quiet for Mew to pick up.

"H-How do I look?"

Mew stared at her with an innocent smile and gave her a thumbs-up of approval, "You look clean as a whistle!"

Kairi shifted her head up then locked her eyes onto Mew. Her pupils shrank and with a shrill "Eep!" her face started turning red.

"Huh? What's the matter?" Mew said as he sat there shirtless, with his fit, somewhat muscular body exposed. Kairi squeezed her eyes shut and started shaking.

Mew then turned his head to Auris and remarked, "I hope she's not catching a fever."

"P-Put a shirt on! UGH!" Kairi spat her fury Mew's way then stamped her feet back up the stairs, her voice echoing down angrily, "I...I'll be back down for dinner!"

Mew kept looking oblivious as Auris brushed the bottom of her chin with her hand and chuckled deeply to herself. She then handed Mew's shirt back to him and said, "Maybe you should heed her request."

Mew squinted and snatched his shirt back out of her hand, wagging a finger at her accusingly, "You're enjoying this way too much."

"For the first time in a long while, I _can_ enjoy myself." Auris whispered under her breath. Before Mew could be given a chance to respond she stood right up and then turned for the kitchen, gazing over her shoulder as she walked towards it.

"So, will you be staying for one more night?"

"Sure. Why not? Probably the best place for me to rest right now anyways." Mew replied.

"Excellent." Auris put one hand on the doorframe leading into the kitchen and hung her head to her chest. Then she hummed a little, and pushed on ahead...

_Later that night..._

The stars were shining bright over the silent city. Auris, with only an empty bottle to her name, sat at the northern edge of the city and stared straight towards the chilly horizon. Her breaths were visible, but not too thick.

The clang of metal coming from behind closed her eyes shut as a familiar voice respectfully remarked, "I knew I'd find you out here, Lady Auris."

The gentle giant Gabriel brushed his hand out before his hip and Auris nodded her head. Then he sat down beside her on his knees and gazed up at the stars.

"Such a beautiful sight." He remarked in a soothed voice.

"Its a common one around here but never an unwelcome one..." Auris opened her eyes and put the bottle down next to five other empty ones on her left.

Gabriel nudged his head towards her and remarked in a solemn manner, "This may be blunt of me but...Is this _really_ how you've chosen to celebrate, Lady Auris?"

Auris perched her hands on her knees and let the soft caress of the arctic winds brush her hair, "Did you do what I asked of you Gabriel?"

Gabriel took a few seconds to reply, starting off with a mild sigh, "Yes...I kept Catherine and the others distracted from the battle with Damascus to the best of my ability. But...are you sure this was a good idea?"

"They need to realize the truth on their own merits, especially young Catherine." Auris softly replied.

"...Damascus' demise does leave us with quite the mess to clean up though," Gabriel rubbed his shaggy beard and closed his eyes to ponder aloud, "All those planets will be thrown into chaos once they learn of his death. Pluto managed to escape before he could be captured...And on top of that, Damascus undid the first seal..."

Auris set her gaze towards the stars and watched as the Northern Lights lit up anew. The waving strokes of their incandescent light mixing splendidly with the ebony sky.

"Even long after he's gone, all of us are still cleaning up after my father's mistakes..." Auris started to curl one hand into a fist but Gabriel put his own hand down to stop her.

She looked him in the eyes and his gentle smile eased its way into her weary heart, "Your father was a flawed man, but what happened with Damascus was not one of his flaws."

"You're right and yet at the same time..." Auris turned her head away and murmured, "I can't help but feel that he still played some part in it..."

"Are you really angry at him? Or at yourself, Lady Auris?" Gabriel said in a stern tone of voice. Auris widened her eyes and softly gaze over her shoulder with a smile.

"Perhaps its a little of a both..." She remarked.

Gabriel took his hand off hers and rested it upon her shoulder. Then he said, devoid of any judgmental attitude, "Our sins are with us forever...But that doesn't mean that we should be defined by them. Your father made his mistakes...But you and I know that he loved you very much."

"Yes. You're absolutely right..." Auris put her hand atop Gabriel's and gently brushed it off to stand.

She then turned to the man and remarked in a somewhat playful tone of voice, "Gabriel. There's something I want to give to you. Could you close your eyes for a moment?"

Gabriel fluttered his eyelashes for a moment but then obeyed her command with a curious smile, "I think I'm too old for this sort of thing now Lady Auris."

Auris reached into her breasts and pulled out that ever useful kitchen knife and positioned herself behind Gabriel. She took the knot of his ponytail into her hand, then cut the whole thing off in one swift slice.

She then put the hair in her hand, knelt down beside its owner, and raised the whole thing right to his face, "Open your eyes now."

Gabriel was shocked and confused the moment he laid eyes on his hair. He rubbed the spot where it used to be and briefly lost his upstanding demeanor, "I-I don't understand..."

"I give you your freedom Gabriel..." Auris parted her hand towards the sky and the individual strands of Gabriel's hair scattered to the discard, "You do not need to serve our bloodline anymore."

Gabriel gasped. He turned away from Auris for a moment and shook his head. Then he swung it back towards her and blurted out, "W-With all due respect Lady Auris, that is not your decision to make."

"I think the time you were forced to spend working for Damascus...Was more than punishment enough for whatever crime you may have committed in the past," Auris put her hand beside Gabriel's face and brushed his bearded cheek, "I don't want you to live your life thinking you are burdened by your past Gabriel. So please, can you not just heed my last request, and try to live your life to the fullest from here on out?"

Gabriel put his hand on hers and lowered it. Then with a soft, hearty chuckle he let out a sigh of exasperation, "...I-I honestly don't know what to say except...Thank you."

The two stood up and looked each other in the eyes like adults. Then Gabriel, trying hard not to smile like a romantic teenager, put a hand on his hilt and asked, "But is it alright if I still refer to you as 'Lady Auris'?"

"I do not mind. I always found it...endearing."

The two shared a quiet laugh in the dead of night. When it was said and done, Gabriel slanted his eyes and sternly looked up towards the stars, changing the subject with a hint of dread in his voice.

"So...what shall we do about the seal?" By the time Gabriel lowered his head Auris had already turned her back to him and slowly started walking towards the city.

"Damascus played god and chose our fate...The future now is inevitable..." Auris crushed her hands into fists by her hips and whispered to herself as she stared blankly towards the horizon, "The least we can do is let those two enjoy a couple days of peace...Before **he** returns."

It was a short walk back to her house, upon which Auris tiredly climbed the stairs to retreat to her bed. But she did not make it more than halfway there before she heard a murmur from her daughter's room.

"M-Mom...? Is that you?"

Auris tilted her head to the door and saw Kairi peeking out from behind it. She pushed the cloth aside and stepped out inches away from her mother. She was in her soft, barely fitting pajamas and her hands were tucked behind her back.

"Having trouble sleeping my de-"

Kairi suddenly flung her arms around Auris' waist and hugged her tightly. Auris' heart froze momentarily, and the color was flushed from her face. With a silent gasp, she listened as her daughter bled her heart dry of all her pent up feelings of appreciation.

"I-I love you mom! I'm so sorry that I was ever mean to you! P-Please forgive me..."

Auris' heart felt faint. A few moments passed before she held her hands against her daughter's back and pressed her face up against her chest.

She closed her eyes, and whispered in a teary tone, "I already forgave you long ago..."

Kairi lifted her head back and muttered, "Y-You did?"

"Of course," Auris pushed her head back in and hugged even tighter, "A mother can never truly stop loving their child...Even at their worst. You were so torn apart by your sister's disappearance and I did nothing to make you feel better. I felt powerless..."

She softened her grip and allowed Kairi room to breathe. In that moment she pulled away from her mother, held her by the hips, and tearfully looked her in the eyes with a smile.

"Mom...Shina's alive..."

Auris' eyes perked up ever so slightly. She then closed them halfway and appeared to frown. Kairi turned her head and remarked, "M-Mom?"

Auris forced a smile and wiggled her head around, saying in a raspy tone of voice, "T-That's wonderful dear. I...I always had a feeling she was still alive out there."

She then stroked the back of her daughter's hair and lovingly patted her on the cheek, "But its been a long day. We'll talk more about this in the morning, ok?"

Kairi replied with a nod, then returned to her room. But not before saying "Good night mom."

"Good night honey." Auris replied back, her expression turned sour the moment Kairi could no longer see it.

She then turned to the left, and laid a hand on her still beating chest. Without emotion in her voice, she repeated with dread on her mind, "Two days..."

_Next Time: Mend the Present_


	32. Final Chapter

**Final Chapter: Tomorrow Always Shines**

On the day following the defeat of Gravitus Kairi had a much easier time getting up out of her bed than she ever could remember. She performed her daily morning routine of making the bed, getting dressed, and walking to her window to be greeted by the daylight.

"Hrrmm, mmmphh..." She was still a little drowsy though, but the sun's light lent a helpful hand to burn away the last bits of nightly grime from her eyes.

After following up with her hands rubbing the grime off, she peered out onto the streets and her pupils turned thin as pin tips in an instant. There were a few dozen Aurians crowded outside of her house and staring right up into her window.

Their gaze was emotionless and honestly kind of creepy. As she looked around there were even more Aurians surrounding the rest of the house. If their front door wasn't fit for just one person entry at a time, this crowd would've likely flooded in at any given moment.

With her heart racing Kairi silently pulled her curtains shut and turned around to throw her back against the window and slide to the ground. She then laid a hand on her thumping chest and muttered "W-What in the world?"

Hurrying downstairs she found Mew and her mother were at the breakfast table talking over a couple plates of scrambled eggs.

"So that's when I told Gravitus 'You were the instrument of your own demise Damascus!' Man, you should've seen the look on his face then!" Mew exposited cheerfully to his silent, nodding audience of one.

Kairi ran to the doorframe, caught her hands on the door, and leaned in with a heavy, worried pant. Mew turned left and said in a smarmy tone, "What's up Kairi, had a bad dream?"

"Not funny Mew!" She hastily spat out before nudging back and remarking, "Have neither of you looked outside this morning?! We're surrounded!"

"Huh?" Mew took his plate with him and ate it clean by the time he got to the living room window. He leaned in and squinted his eyes, seeing exactly what Kairi had seen.

"Oh wow that's a lot of people," Mew said nonchalantly, "...Any chance this is a community fitness march?"

Kairi shook her head and crossed her arms under her chest to say in a dour tone, "No I don't think it is."

"Hmmm..." Mew stood up and sounded a little perturbed as he mentioned the possibility that, "Maybe my plan didn't work after all?"

"Your...plan?" Kairi said with her head tilted.

Mew waved a hand up from his chest and replied, "Yeah, I wanted to make sure Gravitus' true nature was exposed before I killed him. Buuuuut I guess that didn't take with the rest of Sancturia..."

"I...don't think that's the problem," Kairi pointed out, "Everyone gave a bit of their power to attack Gravitus. Without their help I...I never would've gotten the Neo Drive."

"So then what's the deal?" Mew shrugged his shoulders and was in dire need of an answer, "Cause this is lookin' like Lynch Mob Ver. 2.0."

"You killed the man whom everyone and their ancestors saw as their leader for at least two-thousand years..." Auris slowly approached the two and calmly contextualized the crowd's feelings, "They are simply confused and want answers, and to their best of knowledge you two are the only ones who know what happened."

She then flashed a brief smile Mew's way and asked him, "So I hope you weren't planning on running home already..."

Mew leaned his head back and let out a very long and arduous sigh, "Noooo no...I gotta see this through to the end."

"But how?" Kairi remarked as she looked at both her mother and her friend, "_Everyone_ in Sancturia is going to want to know the truth. Are we just going to...go aaaaaall around the city to answer their questions a group at a time?"

Mew swung his head right up and snapped his fingers beside his head as he proclaimed, "I got it!"

"You do?" Auris and Kairi both said, expressing similarly leery tones.

"Yep! I know how we can get the word out all in one go!" Mew sneered with a mischievous chuckle, "And I know **just** the guy for the job."

_Meanwhile..._

"Brrrr..." Bobby clutched his arms against his body and shivered all over.

"What's wrong mister?" One of the kids in his care at summer school whispered.

"N-Nothing..." Bobby murmured, "I...I just got this bad feeling that-"

Mew suddenly kicked the door open and all the kids scrambled behind Bobby with a frightened whimper. Bobby hung his head and let out a groan of, "...I knew it."

Mew then plopped his foot down, crossed his arms and proclaimed in a super jolly tone, "Bobby my man! I got one more job for ya!"

"Haaaa..." Bobby grumbled and pinched his temples hard, "Alright, alright, what is it?"

A few minutes later, Mew, Kairi, Auris, Gabriel and Bobby were in front of the damaged Pyramid. Mew had created a stage complete with a podium and a ton of Aurians had gathered around it. Afterwards Mew pulled Bobby off to the side and went over the plan.

"So Kairi and I are going to explain what happened, while you stand by and use your Bounce Drive to broadcast our message across the city. Sound good?" Mew gave a smile and thumbs-up to the tired tutor.

"Great. I've become a loudspeaker. Mother would be so proud..." Bobby whispered sardonically as he approached the side of the podium.

Mew walked on over to Kairi. She was staring out into the crowd with wobbly eyes and muttering, "T-There's so many of them..."

"Cold feet Kairi?" Mew remarked in his cool as ice tone.

Kairi nudged her head his way and slowly nodded. Mew then perked up a smile and proclaimed, "Then allow me to go first!"

He then went straight for the podium and planted his hands on the sides. He cued Bobby and the guy reluctantly tapped his Drive. After preparing himself with a cough, Mew let his lovely voice be broadcast across all of the city.

"Yo! How's it going everyone?!" He was met with absolute silence. With a click of the tongue he murmured, "Ooof, tough crowd."

He then coughed again, louder this time, and tried to be a little more respectful to the people's time and patience, "So I imagine a lot of you are wondering 'What the HELL happened yesterday', yeah?"

He got a few nods, a couple glares, and one guy impatiently shouting "Get on with it already!"

"Ahem! Right..." Mew tightly wrapped his fingers around the sides of the podium and thought to himself, _"I'm really not built for this..." _

Nevertheless he stared out into the crowd and told them the truth, "Well I hate to tell you all this, but your leader was a megalomaniac asshole. So we had to kill him."

This _delicate_ answer got a bunch of eyes popping wide open but Mew kept running his mouth, "Also, formal apology to anyone whose homes got flipped turned upside-down in the battle. I swear, I _tried_ to keep the damage to a minimum, but-"

"We don't wanna hear it from you!"

"Get that girl on the podium!"

"Yeah! Yeah!" The crowd's opinions were made abundantly clear by their unified cheer. Mew stared, blankly blinking at them until he suddenly zipped right off the podium and over to Kairi.

"Welp! Looks like you're up!" He proclaimed with a hand on her shoulder.

"I-I'm not ready yet!" She remarked as Mew got behind her and gave her a gentle shove on the back.

"You'll do fine! Just give 'em your best!" Mew pumped his fist her way and she slowly edged herself onto the podium. Nervously gripping the sides, she stared out into the judgmental crowd and let out a tiny gulp.

They were preying on her weariness with their eyes, waiting for her to slip up and say something that they didn't want to hear. But if there was one consolation to all this, it was that what they wanted was the easiest thing to provide – the truth, the honest truth.

"Well?" Someone in the crowd hollered, "What do you have to say for yourself?!"

Kairi lowered her head slightly and remembered how often these people had harassed her, hurt her, demeaned her. She wasn't ready to forgive them, not yet, but at the same time...

"_If they hated me that much, then why...why would they help?" _It brought Kairi back to what Mew had said about the good in people's hearts. She raised her head to the crowd and murmured to herself, "Give them a second chance..."

And from there it was easy to figure out what she had to do. She looked to her innermost strength, and found her voice.

"I'm sorry!" She yelled as truthfully as her heart would allow, "There was so many people I've hurt these last two years...It doesn't matter who did or did not deserve it, violence was never the answer."

She then propped her bracelet onto the podium for all to see and pointed at the Neo Drive. Not as if that radiant stone needed the extra attention.

"Yes, I killed Gravitus! Yes, it was out of anger and revenge! But I never intended to ruin anyone's lives. And I don't intend on replacing him as a leader! I may have the Neo Drive but...but that's just not the right role for me. Instead, I...I want to use this power to help people. So if anyone I've wronged needs my help, I'll gladly do what I can to make things right!"

As she caught her breath there were a lot of whispers and murmurs, but no concrete replies to Kairi's offer. Kairi couldn't help but feel a little relieved by that.

But at the end of the day there was really just one major question on most everyone's minds, "What are we supposed to do now?!"

"Our leader's dead!"

"How will we survive?!"

Kairi froze up as too many concerns were being thrown her way all at once. Auris thus stepped up, put her hand on the back of her daughter's, and gently gestured her off the podium.

"You did fine dear, but leave this one to me."

"Are you sure mom?" Kairi mumbled, knowing what her mother's reputation was like.

Auris silently propped herself up before the crowd, gave them a smile, and softened them up with a bit of self-deprecating humor, "I hope none of you mind if a witch has her time in the sun?"

The crowd quieted down and their gazes turned mostly to scorn. Auris defied their hatred to say all that she needed to.

"Nothing has to change now that Gravitus is dead. We'll still be able to keep the benefits of his rule maintained, of that I can assure you. But if there's anything you'd want to be changed, then the power to choose is now in your hands. That is all."

Auris left the podium as quickly as she had arrived, leaving her younger company in awe of how well spoken she had been.

"W-Wow..." Kairi murmured with her mouth agape.

Auris went over to Gabriel as he leaned back against the air and had his eyes closed in thought. Auris then turned to the crowd and watched as some of them approached the stage to speak to Kairi.

"Leaving the people to govern themselves is probably the best idea..." Gabriel opened his eyes and murmured in a worried manner, "But I fear this could lead to a new Ten Sages."

"If it does, then we will help guide them back in the right direction," She turned slightly to smile at Gabriel, "Though I have a feeling that won't be necessary."

He smiled back and retorted, "Yes. I wish to believe the future is in good hands now."

They looked at Mew and Kairi and remained neutral observers for the events going forward. A lot of people, primarily Kairi's fellow classmates, came up to apologize for how they had acted. She personally apologized back, growing less nervous about it as time went on.

There were some who couldn't come up, their disdain unable to die. A few people also bothered Mew with questions about his involvement. A couple girls even tried to hit on him, but Kairi angrily shoo'd them off.

After a couple exhausting hours the crowds were thinned and life continued on as normal. Mew wanted to help with repairs but Gabriel insisted on leaving it to him and the other Planetary Aurians. So with no other loose ends to tie up, Mew jollily followed the Auroras back to their house one more time.

"Whew, I thought that'd never end!" Mew stretched his arms overhead and laughed aloud, "Haha, how do Presidential candidates put up with that for so long?"

Kairi appeared to be zoning out and so Mew casually patted her on the back. She jumped slightly while he told her, "See? What did I tell you? You did great!"

"S-Speak for yourself, there were so many times where I felt like I was going to faint..." Kairi pressed the back of her hand up to her forehead and wobbled her lips.

"I'll get you a glass of water dear." Auris said as she walked on by.

"Thanks mom..." Kairi murmured with a weak smile.

Mew took a couple steps past her, crossed his arms, and grunted with a firm nod of the head. He then looked up at the ceiling, confusing Kairi.

She looked away from him and began to stammer, "S-So what are you going to do now Mew?"

"Hmm, dats a good question..." He pivoted around in place and made some loud-ish grunts for what was ultimately a very simple answer, "I guess I'll go home now!"

Kairi looked at him in mild shock and replied, "R-Really?"

"Gravitus' dead, world's saved, Sancturia's calming down..." Mew cracked a huge grin, "All in all I got a lot done this week! And I think that's earned me a nice nap at home!"

"But do you have to go _right_ now?" Kairi hastily blurted out, baffled by the simplicity of his response.

"Well geez Kairi..." Mew smirked and tapped away at the side of his head, "Its not like I'm leaving forever. Sancturia's just a quick flight away! I'll be back often to check how you're doing cause...that's what friends do right?"

"Right..." Kairi murmured back.

Mew then plopped a hand on her shoulder and she stiffened up. He put on a brimming smile and remarked, "Anyways, catch ya later Kairi!"

The next thing she knew he was walking past her and heading out the door. She was left with a heart pumping a little too fast, and a red flush in her cheeks. She clutched her fist up to her chest and grunted in irritation towards herself.

"Now I know why the caged bird sings." Auris hummed upon delivering her daughter her glass of water.

Kairi fluttered her eyelashes as she cupped the glass in both hands, then stared at her reflection solemnly in the water.

"Go after him." Auris whispered. Kairi jerked her head up and saw her mom's serene smiling face.

"Nothing good ever comes from keeping your feelings locked up. Even though that boy's hopelessly thick in the noggin, I'm sure he'll pick up on it eventually," She then put both her hands on her daughter's shoulders and said, "The sky's the limit. Its up to you to choose what to do with that freedom."

Kairi glanced at herself in the water one more time. She then narrowed her eyes, looked up at her mom, and asked, "Are you sure? What about-"

"We'll have plenty of time to worry about Shina later. Just give a couple days to yourself and him. Please?"

"...Ok mom," Kairi put the water down on a near end table then, freed from her mom's grip, kissed her on the cheek and said, "I'll be back soon!"

Then she scurried out the door after Mew. And Auris, left alone, tightly held her hands together before her waist and murmured, "Very, very soon..."

It didn't take long for Kairi to catch up to Mew on the south side of Sancturia. He was whistling along his merry way with his hands behind his head until she yelled "Mew!" Then he stopped and turned to watch her brake to a stop in front of him.

"What's up? Did you forget something?" He said in his casual manner of speaking and grinned.

Kairi took a second to catch her breath and then lifted her head to look up at Mew's face. That big, goofy smile. His airy personality...

"_I-Is this really what I want to do?" _Kairi found herself asking, and from this reluctance bred a hasty answer, "I-I want to be with you!"

She immediately pinched her lips shut and let out a shrill "Eep!" while Mew tilted his head and replied in a humored tone, "You...mean you want to come with me back to Earth?"

"Y-Yes! Exactly!" Kairi looked away and stroked the side of her hair, flaunting a rather meek smile as she dryly laughed at her mistake.

"Hehehe," Mew laughed back and squeezed his eyes shut to tease her a little, "But I thought it was against the rules to leave Sancturia until you're 20?"

"Ugh! Who cares! Do you want me or not?!" She exclaimed, her cheeks reddening a little as she hastily corrected herself, "T-To come with you, that is!"

"Yeah sure I don't mind but...Don't you have things to do around here?"

"School's out and to be perfectly honest..." Kairi had the words on the tip of her tongue but wound up swallowing them and replacing them with something else, "I-I'd rather spend that time...t-t-training with you some more."

"Oh?" Mew perked his eyes open and grinned from cheek-to-cheek.

"I mean, just because I'm stronger than you now doesn't mean that I don't have anything left to learn...A-And..."

Mew put his hand up towards her face and quietly told her, "Lemme stop you right there."

Kairi looked him straight in the eyes and saw that he had a serious expression. "Does he know?" Is what she immediately thought, and that made her tense up a little in worry.

Mew folded his arms back up to his chest and raised his head up high to state bluntly, "You've gotten stronger, but I'm still definitely the stronger one between us!"

"_W-Wha..." _Kairi's body tensed up in anger and she swung her fists down to exclaim at the top of her lungs, "What?!"

"What, its true." Mew replied softly.

"Oh I'm **sorry**, remind me again just WHO killed Gravitus?!" Kairi wasn't taking any of Mew's bullshit this time around.

"I would've had him if he hadn't threatened the planet! And besides, I weakened him for you." Mew's tone was coming across as him expecting instant gratification but instead he just got the yells that he deserved.

"Bull-SHIT! He was at full strength when I fought him! I knew you were bad at math but I didn't think that extended to power levels!"

"What? My math's totally on point for this one!" Mew confidently declared.

"Oh. Really?"

"Yeah! Me + Darkness = Greater Than The Neo Drive. Its simple addition!"

Kairi summoned her staff and swung at his head. He ducked under it and slid coolly to the right. Kairi's face was steaming red and she waggled her staff at him while saying, "I'm going to add some lumps to your head! Get back here!"

Mew hopped back towards the edge of the city grinning like a dope while asking, "Why are you so mad?!"

"Why don't you figure it out before I bash your skull in you dick!" Kairi missed twice and Mew hung his heels over the edge of the city.

He then flicked his hands up and said with a smile, "Well be careful where you hit! I wanna be in top form when we go on our date!"

"UGH!" Kairi clutched her staff tightly and yelled at the top of her lungs, "Who'd ever go on a date with you?!"

"Good point..." Mew started falling out of Sancturia while shrugging his shoulders, "I don't even know what a date is!"

As he floated out of sight Kairi growled like a hungry lion then leaped out of the city to fly after him. The two danced around, him dodging her striking, all the while he laughed while she yelled, "Get back here Mew! This isn't over! MEW!"

But for as mad as she was this was all in good fun. And once the two had their fill of going at each other they'd return to Mew's house and enjoy a little peace and quiet...For however long that may last...

**CLASH OF THE ELEMENTS PART 5 (r): THE LOVER FROM THE LAST AURA...**

**THE END.**


	33. Epilogue

**Epilogue: The Converging Fates**

Far, far away from any hospitable planet, there was a lone asteroid. There are thousands of asteroids in the Milky Way Galaxy alone, so what makes this one so special? Because, out of all the possible encounters this asteroid could have had, this one happened to catch a man who, by all means, should be as dead as dead could be.

With his body unraveled, and the pieces of his body and ego floating along with him, the former ruler of Sancturia Gravitus lied atop this asteroid barely able to move. He growled, embittered by his defeat and the helpless state it left him in.

But just when he thought it couldn't get any worse for him, fate had its way of spitting in his face. A tall, lanky boy with pale skin, shoulder-length black hair, and sharp red eyes landed to the left of him. With nothing but a black shirt with a skull on it and tattered beige pants to his name, the boy exuded an impossible to breech air of aggression, and lorded over the man with nothing but indifference towards him.

"I sensed a great power coming from here and thought it was Whiter..." With a nasally voice the boy sneered his upper lip and grumbled, "But instead I found a mangled corpse."

"Y-You..." Gravitus growled at him to the best of his ability, "It seems our paths are destined to keep crossing...Joe Dark."

The boy gently raised his brows and muttered "Do I know you?" before committing to a more certain assessment of the man, "Oh wait...I remember now."

He stamped his right foot down on the man's abdomen and crushed right through it, cracking the asteroid underneath. Glowing with pure, hazy darkness, Joe Dark raised his left hand to the man's chest and remarked, "You're that fool who tried to recruit me...Didn't I decapitate you?"

"I...will never die...to the likes of you." Gravitus smirked with confidence.

Joe Dark's hand swallowed the light encapsulating the air and compressed into a sphere of dark energy, "I'll make sure to make it permanent this time..."

The moment Joe Dark fired his blast Gravitus swung his left hand up and a strange symbol appeared on the back of it. Joe Dark's attack obliterated Gravitus' hand and all of his chest, the devastation extended high above as a pillar of black flames.

Gravitus let out a heavy cough and Joe Dark pulled his hand a little further up to his head. Growling in annoyance, the boy remarked, "You really are a stubborn cockroach to put down..."

"That's quite enough, _Dark King._" A regal voice drove its contempt into Joe Dark's ears before striking the boy in the back with a saber attached to an hourglass handle.

The boy turned but found his movements sluggish. He grit his teeth and, faced with a ragged, elven man, raised his hand aglow with darkness and proclaimed, "Come to die too eh?!"

Pluto swung at Joe Dark quickly with his blade to slow him down further and further. The attack Joe Dark managed to release did nothing to Pluto's Divine Drive but mildly irritate it. And before he could try again, Joe Dark's time had been frozen completely by the power of Pluto's blade.

Pluto started to drop and planted his sabers into the ground. He panted and coughed up a mild bit of yellow blood, then rose back up and crossed his blades against Joe Dark's neck.

"It is you who has come to die, foolish boy..."

"Wait!" Gravitus mustered the energy to yell, halting the blades' decapitating strike, "T-There is still use for that boy..."

Pluto softly withdrew his weapons and murmured "As you wish..." then approached the man to help him stand. Gravitus had just enough energy left in his body to repair it, but from then on he'd be unable to take a single step forward.

"I can't believe you found me, Pluto..." Gravitus remarked with sincere gratitude.

"Though I wish it hadn't been necessary..." Pluto narrowly glared at the man for a moment before turning around and remarking, "So I take it the plan failed then? The girl has the Neo Drive..."

Gravitus raggedly drew his breath in and out, then slowly spread a grin. He propped his right hand down by his hip, and slid the handle of his scythe out of hit.

"Yes." Gravitus said as he scooted one step forward.

"Then what is our plan of attack no-" Pluto turned around and Gravitus extended the blade of his scythe through his chest.

Gasping in shock, the elven king said "W-W-Why...?" as Gravitus drained him of his energy to regain his ability to stand tall.

Gravitus drained Pluto to the almost very last drop, all while whispering faintly into his ear, "Pay unto evil, as evil deserves..."

Pluto widened his eyes and Gravitus grinned in triumph, "This is your final act of repentance..._Disgraced King_..."

Gravitus pulled his scythe out and Pluto dropped onto his back immediately, barely having the strength to breathe. But with that tired breath, the king raised his hand and cursed the man's name.

"I...believed in you...traitor..."

Gravitus turned away and put his full attention onto the boy who would be called the Dark King. Gravitus flexed his powers slightly by squeezing his hand and slamming the motionless boy flat against the asteroid. He then raised his hand to his face and remarked, "Good as new..."

He then looked down at Joe Dark and was undoubtedly pleased by how helpless he looked. Though it made no difference, he muttered in delight, "You will make a perfect gift...For what's coming next."

He then raised his left hand and that strange symbol was no longer there, "Two keys have been used..."

He stared up at the endless, starry depths of space and stretched his arms out to remark in a mildly humored tone, "And so the last one is left in your capable hands..._Phoenix of Destruction_."

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Author's** **Note:**

And so Part 5 comes to an end...Again. I'm really proud of how it turned out overall, especially in comparison to the clunkiness of the old Part 5.

Next up on the list is rewriting Part 6. I got the outline and everything all ready to go but I still need a couple weeks off to take care of some things before I begin. So at around the start of June I'll see you all again. Same place, same title as the old Part 6.

Thanks for reading!


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